The Last Prayer
by Hellsig Otoupeim
Summary: He had betrayed his Nakama, cast out of a Guld he only now realised was part of him. Her family had been slaughtered by them, killed until the very last; her best friend and brother dying in her arms. He wanted acceptance, and she wanted revenge. Both from Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1 The Awakening

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of the consequent material, which all belong to Hiro Mashima. My OC -hence the name OC, belongs to me. This disclaimer applies for the whole of the FanFiction and will not be reiterated in the next chapter.

* * *

The Nirvit mountains were a beautiful place to be. The sun shone on the horizon, smearing hues of reds, pinks and oranges through the evening's sky. A sweet, frisk breeze was in the winds, bringing the scents of the forest to the rock fortress. The leaves of the trees could be seen shining golden in this late autumn. A blanket of crispy gold was on the floor, silent carpet for those who knew how to move. The sight was idyllic with the dark figures of the mountains against the fading sky. The place would have been Nirvana, had it not been for the noise. Endless silence, pierced by the buzzing of flies on rotting flesh.

Rezef had left the mountains of her guild a few days back. Her family would be expecting her return this very evening, for tomorrow was an important day. Tomorrow, her brother and sister were getting married. She had just been into town that day, checking on those who needed to be checked upon, fulfilling a few tasks and using her skills to make sure none would cause trouble tomorrow. Tomorrow would be a day of festivity, a day of happiness. Her father would be leading the ceremony and she had just obtained the wedding rings. None of the concerned knew what their rings looked like, and she would be the one to carry them the following day, a special demand from her sister. Her brother would ensure the fireworks were ready to be launched, whilst her best friend would take care of the amusement. He had come up with a way to create fantastically close to reality illusions not too long ago, and all were looking forward to what he had to give. Lastly, her other brother would be smoothing out the place they lived in, making sure they had a clear and risk-free area to dance and have fun in afterwards. Rezef had never looked forward so much to an event before.

She raised her face to the sky, taking in the beautiful hues across the sky and closed her eyes. She imagined the colours splattered on her home's sky, the black mountains against the evening's sky and wished herself to be home. She could hear the birds chirping in the background, as her family and she sat around a campfire at night. She could sense the breeze on her skin; smell the odour of mint her best friend carried around with him. When Rezef opened her eyes, she stood amongst her belongings, at home. She quickly looked around the little cave she had come to cherish, spotting her friend's personal belongings in a corner. Untidy, as always. With a small smile on her lips, she walked over to the furthest corner of the cave and bent down to tidy a little. A scent wafted in, the scent of burnt flesh and death. Rezef shot back up, before running out of the cave.

She hated not knowing what was going on.

* * *

The first one she found was her sister. Her beautiful sister. The current of the river had washed her body away, into the lake that bathed the feet of the mountain. From where she was, she could see the camp of the Cait Shetler, a merry bonfire burning in the centre of the main plaza and illuminating the faces of smiling people. Cheers erupted as one rose his cup.

Rezef felt hatred stir in her guts. She hated them. Hated their merriness, hated their happiness and above all, she hated the way they could just laugh when, less than a kilometre away, laid a dead woman. She hated humans.

Ever so gently, Rezef brushed a strand out of Angel's face. Her fingers were smeared with red, Angel's body burnt in the fires of the Urano Metria. The soft feathers had turned to crisp, the white tainted black. There was no hope left. She laid dead, in the muddy banks of the lake, amongst the torn feathers of her life.

Rezef rose, pulling the bloodied and battered corpse onto her back and jogged to the camp. If she could not save them, she would give them the most grandiose of the eternal houses ever to have been made.

She found Racer, or rather what was left of him. A smoking skeleton in the middle of an ash field. His racing goggles were still on his charred skull, alongside his leather jackets. The only things, along his bones, to have survived the explosion. Everything around him had been blown up, he had been the epicentre of the dreaded explosion. What could have caused him to take his life? What mischief could the opponent have pulled on Racer to force him to die? Molten ice lingered in the side of the skeleton. Magical ice to have survived the intense heat of the explosion. There were at least two then, one attacking Angel and another Racer. Could there have been... More? She ran to the stone structure protruding in the forest, her heart beating fast with fear. If the Dragon Nirvana had been awoken, what else could have befallen her family?

She first caught sight of Cuberios. The winged snake was hard to miss, having caused damage to the surrounding area when she had fallen out of the heavens. Dread filled her body, as she knew Cobra would have never let any harm befall neither Angel nor Cuberios with him alive. When she found his body, however, she could not contain the rage bubbling inside her. It was poignant, strong, fierce and hateful. It burned her from the inside; made her very being ache from the acid it was carried. She took brought both of their bodies back to the cave where Racer and Angel laid already. Hot Eye had been led away, his memories still present in the landslide he had caused allowed her to see this much. She could see them, the fairies that had killed her family. Her family. She still missed two of the bodies, her task was not fulfilled. Turning a hate filled gaze towards the little bonfire below, she beat her way back down the rock slope to the giant skeleton of the Dragon of Balance.

Her footsteps echoed on the dying stone as around her the shadows moved. They were trying to comfort her, trying to give her a warmth they themselves lacked. Rezef was not bothered by the lack of light, nor was she by the humid stench of the stone. They were crying tears of blood for their dragon. She let her hand brush against the cold, smooth surface before following the bend of the tunnel. Suddenly, the narrow passage widened until she stood in a circular stone chamber. The ceiling rose to the very height of the Nirvana, her gaze one instant captured by the charming beauty of the great dragon. Until the crystalline sound of glass resonated under her feet. She lowered her gaze.

In front of her stood what would have been the Lacryma of the dragon. The shards of glass were gritting under her shoes as she slowly took a step forward. Her hand stroked the broken base of the crystal ball, her fingers cut by the sharpness of the edge. She smiled. There was an atmosphere of eerie in the chamber. As if the souls of the victims of Nirvana had inhabited its deepest parts ever since their death. Other passages were opened on both side of the ball. All the lacrymas were connected with one another, and if Zero was not in this room, he would be in one of the five others. And so, slowly, Rezef made her way around the dragon in search of her father.

The last one she found was her brother, best friend and partner in crime. His body came into view when she turned around the corner, and as soon as she caught sight of him, she was running. She dropped the little countenance she had tried to keep together when she let herself fall by his side, her hand grabbing his face.

His eyes tried to open, as a small, tired smile grazed his lips.

"_I was waiting."

"_Midnight..." it had been a murmur, a whisper. Her hands were smoothing his brow, pushing strands of hair away from his face. She did not need to look to know there was no use. Yet, she made a move to bandage his stomach, hopping to stall a little longer. His hand stopped her.

"_let me... go to sleep." His voice was raspy, drained and thirsty. She brought some water to his lips, which he drank with avidity. A newfound light sparked in his eyes.

"_Rez..." he had all her attention. He inhaled once, tried to finish his sentence before realising his effort were vain. He tiredly motioned for her to bend down, and very delicately, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, sis."

And he was dead.

* * *

She had brought back his battered and broken body to the camp. One night, she had mourned their death. At the light of the new day, she had set to the task. She had washed their bodies, prepared them for the afterlife in the fashion she had once been taught. Her pale hands had washed their clothes, cleaned and protected their bodies with odorific plants to keep the flesh intact a little longer. She then had dressed them in their best clothes, had slipped the rings on both Angel's and Cobra's fingers and had laid them to sleep in their cold, dark home. Eternal rest.

She was now standing in front of the Nirvana. The dragon had been tended to as well, instead of leaving it where it collapsed. A building was rising from where once stood the high tower. It was made out of shadows, the blackest of blacks and protected by many charms. None would be able to penetrate their sanctuary and disturb their peace.

There was no moon that night, and as Rezef turned on her heels to leave the monument she caught sight of the bonfire by the lake. Rage filled her, as all thoughts seemed to depart from her body. Hatred, blacker than black, deeper than the deepest pits. She was hunting. The Light Team was her prey.

* * *

Oh yes. Nox was on a roll.

* * *

**NB:** This FanFiction is 20 Chapters long, and despite it being already written, finished and wrapped up, I would appreciate to have feedback. Constructive criticism is always and forever welcome, but flames shall be drenched in sarcasm, if any be.

Secondly, English not being my mother tongue, I would appreciate people pointing out mistakes in form or language.

Thank you for taking the time to read me,


	2. Chapter 2 Nox

Since their deaths, Rezef had grown. She now shrouded her face with a cloak, hide her identity behind a veil of shadows none may look past. Nox. The Shadowalker. She took lone jobs, growing even more deadly as each day went by, sharpening her hate for those who had killed her family. Punishing herself for failing them as well.

Every day, she would draw her blood in an attempt to cope with the guilt. Had she been quicker. Had she lingered less by the dead bodies of her family, she could have reached Midnight in time. She WOULD have reached him in time. Had she never mentioned Nirvana in the first place, none of this would have happened. Midnight would still be there, Cobra would still be there, Angel would still be there. Heck, even Zero would still be there. But what was left? Nothing. No one. She had failed them, she had as good as killed them herself. She was a murderer. A curse.

Nox was not as stupid as to believe what the guilt was telling her, and she often tried to remind herself that she could not have done anything differently. None could have foreseen what happened, none could have warned them.

None would have wanted to.

They were the assassins of the goddamn King of Fiore, his personal hit men. Known throughout the country as one of the darkest of guilds, one of the three most influential for their members counted amongst the strongest, they were feared by all and hated by many. Even the King had sent his Guilds against them. Nox closed her eyes, as the silver metal dug into her side once more. She was a failure. She could smell her own blood on the air, her own disasters. She inhaled sharply.

Failure. Failure.

The word repeated inside her head.

Traitor. Coward.

No. she was not a coward. Neither was she a traitor.

Murderer. Murderer.

A pang of pain ripped her heart.

MUDERER!

Her eyes flew open under the violence of her gasp. The cut at her side was deeper than any other. Blood was already starting to smooth it out, leaving frozen traces on her shirt and on the fur of her jacket. She couldn't resist the urge of taking Midnight's spare jacket out of his pack before throwing it away. It still smelled faintly of mint. Her eyes hardened.

Had she been quicker...

The sound of crushed paper made her rise quickly, before she caught sight of the request she had snatched away from a "Guild-free" board in a train station. Eliminate a dark guild for 100 000 jewels, it read. Dark Lullaby. It had been under the Oracion Seis' control before... before she had failed them.

She would bring them down. To the last one. And if it wasn't enough to quench her thirst for revenge, she would bring them all down. One by one. She would Kill Them All.

* * *

Under a moonless night, Nox found it always easier to work. The darkness was her ally, it never failed her before. It was her friend, her comfort. Her most perfect weapon, her deadliest army. Fear.

Her steps were inaudible when she approached the entrance of the building. Not that she was trying to be quiet, but it was always an advantage. A man was standing by the door, looking into the night. She saw him jump when he heard her cold, cruel laughter and saw his eyes widen in fear when he crossed her gaze, under the shadow of her hood. She unsheathe Vazeriel, her beloved sword and smirked.

"_hello."

The first man had been rather easy to get rid of, his surprise bringing her an advantage. Her sword had quickly pierced through his skin as she had relished in the smooth, warm feeling of his blood spattering on her face. Her tongue darted out to lick a drop that had fallen on the corner of her lips. Metallic. That was the taste of human blood. She had tasted it, long ago. Never had she forgotten the liquid that tasted so foreign and yet so right on her tongue. She closed her eyes for an instant, trying to calm the beast in her. When they opened again, all sympathy for her victims had gone from them, replaced with a cold indifference. Their death. That was what she had come for, what she had wanted. It was what she was going to get.

When she stepped into the opening, no one noticed her at first. Then, as gradually the light began to flicker out, their gaze turned to her. When the last one died, she acted. Vazeriel was ringing for blood, singing out in glorious violence as her blade embedded itself in the throat of a man. She drew it out to block a blow coming from her left, before slithering under the guard of the man opposite and piercing his heart. The clamour of the metal was praising the blood spilt, as Nox sidestepped another blow, from behind this time. She pushed the man a little, and him and another impaled each other. She soon fell into her step. Stab, parry, slice, sidestep, pierce, knock out, stab. Her face was marred with blood, her blade sick in her singing glory. The metal was clashing with one another as, slowly, the men's number dwindled away until only the chief was left. Nox must have appeared like a demon to this man, who had nowhere to hide but in the shadows that would strangle him. She strode towards him, a confident smirk amidst the blood on her face. Her blade poised under his throat, she heard him beg.

"_please... I will pay. I can give you money. Power."

She grinned, before she removed her sword from his neck. Only to bring it back down in an arc of light. The head rolled to the floor, eyes still opened wide in fear. The thump of the body hitting the floor did not faze Nox, as she turned to the door.

Once her foot had passed the door step, the building burst ablaze. She turned around, watching the beautiful flame cleanse the woods from the evils of her past. She licked her blade, now content with blood. As the wooden structure began to collapse, she turned around and began to walk away. When the men from the villages nearby would arrive, there would be nothing left but a stack of burning embers which would slowly fade to ashes.

Everything a god gives, he takes it back.


	3. Chapter 3 Hate

Nox loved the city of Magnolia. The parks with their old trees, the cherry blossoms on the hills surrounding them, the clear stones paving the streets, the modern bathhouse. Everything in Magnolia was enjoyable to the woman. Apart, maybe, for one thing. The people. Nox hated people. They had grown on her, grown on how she viewed the world and had made her weak for a year, before she slowly pulled herself from their deaths. From Midnight's death.

And yet, she still dreamt of vengeance, at night. She still longed for the blood of the Light Team to flow on her neck, taint her cadaveric skin. She still saw her family's eyes, opened in their death, staring at her with accusation. Midnight's lips still lingered on her forehead, and often at night she would still close her eyes and wait for the empty feeling to pass. She would always wait for the empty feeling to pass. Oddly enough, she didn't think it would.

Nox had stumbled upon the city of Magnolia a few days ago. She had just come back from destroying a dark guild, her fifth after Dark Lullaby and had needed a bath. The request had no reward other than the one of a train ticket and a five days six nights stay in a hot spring resort. In Magnolia. She had token the opportunity, wishing for a nice place to be for a few days. She was planning to only stay there for four days and give up her last one to someone who needed it when she had discovered something that was forcing her to leave Magnolia in a hurry, after only her third day. She had given instructions at the reception of the resort a few hours earlier, warning of what was going to happen with the change of inhabitant. Currently, Nox was polishing Vazeriel. The sword was thirsting for blood again, and she was sure she would have given it to her as she was strolling around the city a few hours ago had she not left her trusted friend in her room. For, a few hours ago, Nox had stumbled upon a kiosk which sold news papers.

She had not paid much attention to what was written on it at first, until the words etched in bold type across its front had caught her sight. "Light Team Defeats Oracion Seis". Her blood boiled, her eyes lit alight with hate, but not at the words. They were true, they were her fault. No. What send her over the edge, what caused the acid to overflow, that was the pictures. Twelve, arranged in three rows of four. Four from Fairy Tail, three from Lamia Scale, four from the Blue Pegasus and one Cait Shelter. The memories came back to her, ones she did not have until her family died and passed them onto her. She saw a bright light fighting her sister, whilst flames engulfed both the husband and the father. Ice, grinding, painful ice blinding the explosion of Racer. Stone breaking darkness. And then the red. The crimson, red fairy killing her friend, her brother, her binding to earth. Her last tie with her sanity. The very last reason for her to be alive.

In the end, Nox had bought the paper. After researches she conducted using the earkype lacrymas, she was able to gather extensive information on all twelve of her subjects. Yet, Nox was not satisfied. She had felt the urge to leave the city, as if her instinct was compelling her too. Was it not for the free baths and food, she would have been gone long ago; you see, Magnolia was home to Fairy Tail, and it was where, now, five members of the original Light Team belonged. She did not want to risk an uproar when she would set on killing. No. she was going to do it beautifully. She was going to do it in such way there would not be anything left of them once she was done. She would kill them, both mentally and physically. She would torture their souls, crush their minds, shatter their psyche. She would have them begging for their death before she had even touched them.

777days. That is how long she gave them. Then, unless there was a dysfunction in her plan, she would hunt them down. Two years, one months, two weeks and four days. They would fear their own shadow; turn over in the comfort of their own homes, unable to find security. They would fear friends, shun family until they were all alone in an ocean of paranoiac madness. Then, slowly, almost gently, she would break them. Snap them in two. Gut them of their feelings. And they would beg for mercy. Beg for a new life. They would pay what they had stolen back with their own skins if she had to. She would get revenge. She was thirsting for blood.

So was Vazeriel. The sword was begging for a traitor's blood. Stroking her twisted soul, her only friend within this world, Nox was craving a fight. Slowly, she brought her hand back down, the sharpening stone scraping against the adamantine metal. And the motion continued, on and on, like the heart beats of a beast slowing down with the fading Red.

Thirst quenched, Nox departed from the hotel room, handing her keys to the first person in need she saw. The woman and her daughter looked at her retreating back, utter shock in their eyes. And long after her back had disappeared in the crowd of shadows, they were still gazing after her.

* * *

Her mindless wandering in the town of the fairies had not been wasted time for Nox, who had been able to clarify where her next target laid. Quite quickly, Nox had noticed a pattern in the dark guild's alliance. Each and every guild had inherited a relic from those who worshipped Zeref, relic from which the masters drew their incredible powers. In such fashion, Brain and Zero both had their source in the Nirvana, the dragon of balance the Nirvits had created under the pressure of Zeref. The Grimier Hearts had theirs hidden on their ship. One of the silliest moves she had ever seen but that was because she knew what it represented to them. And then there was Tartaros. The guild had done it well, and it had token Nox quite some time to uncover where the master had hidden his source of power. Some time, and some torturing. But now, she knew. She knew where the demon Hellya stood. And she was not pleased by it.

In another world, in another life, Rezef had been knows as Hel. Northern goddess of death and the afterlife, she had come to collect the souls of those too weak, too reluctant, or simply judged unworthy by the Valkyries. Her body had rotten away on one side, her walk forever with a limp. Her body had not fully survived the transformation from a mortal to an immortal and her new found kinsmen had shunned her for being different. She had been pretty, her right side almost as beautiful as Freya. And even though Sigyn and Loki had her affection for they treated her like a human rather than a monster, she had been sent away as the guardian of the realm of the dead. Centuries after centuries, eons after eons, she had gathered the souls of the dead, had brought the unworthy to the Beast and had comforted those too weak to feast in Valhalla. And no less than twenty years back, she had had enough. Throwing aside conventions and dictates, Hel had chosen to live amongst the mortals, seen by them as one of them. Her body had turned back to the one she had had before she had become a goddess and it seemed to her as if life had offered her another chance. She had met Midnight and the Oracion Seis, had laughed with them until they were family. She had come to rest by them, had even told her secret to them. They had not laughed, had not feared. They had treated her the same, had loved her even more for it. She had relied on them, had seen them grow into wonderful people. And then, she had seen them die. She had watched the Valkyrie take away Midnight's soul to rest by the deserving. And she had known; all that life gives, death takes away.


	4. Chapter 4 Hel

Garmr had been delighted to see his mistress back. Twenty years she had left him to guard her realm, twenty years the valiant hound had missed her. Twenty years he had tried to keep up his job, but defying Hel was something different to defying Garmr. You could win against Garmr, though not through the strength of weapons. Hel would not even leave you the time to scream at her sight. Her human bodily form had been unsettling to Garmr at first. How could she survive in such a small, frail body? But then, he saw it. Hel's magical aura. Still as strong as ever, still as deadly as before. And as the goddess stood on the other side of the golden bridge, he saw her morph. Where once stood a strong and proud woman now was a goddess. Her steps were light, as if the darkness of the shadows had gained in consistence, giving her dead side more support and suppressing the limp she had been cursed with. Her white, dead hair still hid the left side of her face, whilst the right shone with the beauty of light, contrast again the ebony locks life had given her long ago. Oh, Hel was the kind death before being the valiant one, but she remained Death. Her bare foot grazed the golden bridge, as Garmr rose from his spot, tails wagging.

The Helhound was beautiful to Hel. She had found him as a pup when Loki and Sigyn still were by her side. He had grown into Hel's hound and had gained characteristics which normally frightened others. Hel was proud of them. Garmr stood as tall as a man, his three tails wagging. His black fur seemed to absorb light, as his three pairs of eyes focused onto her. Garmr had lost a pair of ears on one head, his tongue on another and his sight on the last.

Hel had killed the one who had done it in an insufferable misery of pain.

The two pair of red eyes focused with joy onto her face, his two tongues licking her cheek. She smiled and a laugh escaped her lips. Yes, she was back home. Her forehead came to rest against the dog's, as his leash snapped under Hel's command. Her hand still in his fur, she led him to her throne chamber.

"_did any mortal reach past?" she already knew the answer, but did not want to upset nor accuse the hound. His ears fell, and she scratched his under jaw.

"_a group of eight."

"_eight mages against one Helhound would have been equally matched had one of them not been accompanied by Hellya. I came to make sure she was eradicated. She has caused too much trouble already."

His tails wagged even more.

"_can I? Oh please, can I?!" the excitement of her friend made her stifle a laugh, as she stepped over the dead body of a man. Another which tried to come past and Garmr got rid of. A Valkyrie had most likely come to get that one, considering there was no soul lurking around. Garmr led her to a little passageway where there was no light coming from. The guest rooms where down the passage, to the right. She supposed Hellya had settled in the most luxurious.

She found the demon of Zeref inside a crystal lacryma, entirely frozen. Tartaros was smart enough not to trust a demon of Zeref to remain out of harm's way. What that had not yet understood was that harm found the demons of Zeref. Not the other way around. As soon as she had stepped in, Garmr started barking at the crystal structure.

"_Hel! It's cracking! Can I? Please? Can I?"

She stood to the side, letting Garmr push the crystal over. It shattered on the ground, as Hellya unfolded her wings. The frost that always covered her wigs had melted under the heat the magic stored in the Lacryma produced, and now in the open air the beautiful patterns soon covered the black substance. Hellya stood up.

The top of the demon's head reached the ceiling of the room, as she stretched her arms. A claw came extremely close to Garmr, who bit it. The demon turned around.

"_sorry, I didn't see you there. Pup."

Growl erupted from the throat of the Helhound. Hel, in her shadows was smirking. Oh yes. Blood. He grew from his shrunken form to the one of the Helhound, his head reaching the demon's shoulder. His lips curled, as his teeth were bared to the demon. She did not back down, while the ground around the demon slowly began to freeze. Her right arm now encased in ice, she swung. Garmr jumped to the right, barely avoiding the hit. His jaw snapped shut on the demon's arm. A howl of pain resonated through the empty halls, as Hel let a laugh escape her lips. Her eyes were glassed over, as if a killing frenzy had token over her being. The demon sent her a hateful look, before swinging. The hound crashed into a wall, rising again immediately. He lunged at her, leaving deep gashes on her beautiful face. The demon raised her uninjured hand to her cheek, looking at the dark blood tainting her pale blue skin. A scream of rage made all souls in the surroundings dissipate in pain as Hellya lunged again at the Helhound. She grabbed his fur and brought her teeth onto his exposed throat, ready to bite the carotid. As she was about to close her jaw, Garmr's claw found her eyes. The demon hollered in pain, both hands clawing at her face in an attempt to halt the pain. Garmr rose back up, before looking at his mistress. Her onynx eyes found his red embers as her cold, cruel voice resonated through the room, overpowering the screams of the demon.

"_kill her."

The Helhound swallowed the demon whole.

* * *

Nox was back in the world of above, Tartaros having been sufficiently weakened for Garmr to take care of their souls soon. She was currently hunting for a job, searching towns for something destructive. She was craving a fight, was burning with hate. Her footsteps led her to the little town of Peche. Peche was a little fishing village half way between Magnolia and the arrival place of all creatures coming from other realms. She had strayed a little from her path, since it would have been easier for her to cut straight through the land. However, the rumours of the Pandemonium Court having left the underworld had had her wanting to pay them a visit. This was the reason behind her straying to the coastline when revenge was awaiting her in the arms of Fairy Tail. Her eyes closed as the scent of the sea was carried to her. The air was fresher here, the colours clearer. Was it because she was home not even an hour before, or for another reason she still failed to grasp? She was not worried. Soon enough, the wind would whisper to her, the waves sing the song of the sea and the stars wink at her. She just had to let time flow. The sound of footsteps shook her from her reverie, as she turned around. A faint scent of mint was on the air, an electroshock for her. As she jolted around, almost expecting to see Midnight's smirk as he slept, she was only met with the bottom of a forest green coat lined with fur disappearing behind the corner of a street.


	5. Chapter 5 The Faint Odour of Mint

She had stayed where she stood, her eyes wide under her cloack. The scent of mint on the jacket she had token from Midnight's pack had been fading over the last few days. She was wearing it under her cloak and she was sure the scent could not have come from it. Could it have been from this man? The feel of something warm and soft rubbing his head against her hood made her gaze snap back to the black dog with red eyes looking at her.

"_we are having a look Garmr."

* * *

She pushed the door of a rundown inn. A couple of old men were already trying to lose their sobriety despite it not being four in the afternoon yet, while a woman was standing behind a counter polishing glasses. There was no sign of the mint odour, but Nox knew she was in the right place. She made her way to the request board, searching for a real quest for her and Garmr. A little paper at the bottom of the board grabbed her attention. A century quest. She smirked. Grabbing the paper, she tore it from its binding without as much as a wince. The lady behind the counter looked up from her task and readied the stamp of approval. She handed over the paper, Garmr waiting for her outside of the door. The woman glanced over the request, before eyeing the girl.

"_I can't give you the request."

"_why?" her voice could have chilled the woman's bone, but the old lady smiled and her eyes were amused.

"_this a two mage job."

"_Garmr!" The head poked around the door, as the lady's eyes widened.

"_what?" the gruff voice of the Helhound reverberated through the inn, and the women's eyes widened even more. Her stamp hovered above the paper, before she looked to the side and called out;

"_Laxus!"

The odour of mint had invaded the room as soon as the young man had entered the inn. Nox froze a little under her hood, before a small smirk stretched her lips. Laxus, eh?

"_she took the job you wanted."

"_so? You told me I couldn't do it on my own, old lady."

Nox smirked, before turning to Garmr who just looked at her, unmoving. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders –as much as a Helhound can, and went to sit back down by the entrance.

Two sets of eyes were on her when Nox turned her attention back to the man and the old woman.

"_Miss" began the old lady, "I would like you to take this young man with you."

Three pairs of eyes –four but Garmr's extra pair of functional eyes were hidden behind an illusion, turned to the woman, astounded. Slowly, the smirk that had been on the Nox's face, and which she had dropped, came back and her voice rang through the inn, loud and clear in its coldness:

"_fine."

* * *

"_I see you brought breakfast." The deep, reverberating voice of Garmr made Nox smile under her hood, before she replied.

"_I am not quite sure he will be enough for the two of us."

Laxus, deciding to play along, grunted a "I am sure I'll be a little treat for you." Which earned him a hit in the side.

For three days, Laxus had been travelling with Nox whilst Garmr had gone ahead. This had allowed them time to get to know each other, which was the path to success in double missions.

"_we'll settle here for the night." Garmr announced, leading them to a little clearing. At first, Laxus had been weary of the animal but even more of the mistress, wondering just how the woman had gotten her hands on a Helhound. He had only heard some tales about them, even less seen any. Garmr was above all he had expected. The animal was friendly with Laxus, often coming to be petted by him. He was also a superb hunter, often he would hunt for them, saving them the trouble of having to carry tins of food. But above all, Garmr seemed to have a gift to avoid danger. As if he could smell it and chose the most secure path.

* * *

The quest Nox had chosen was a century quest, which was fine by him. He would be away from Fairy Tail for some time, give them space to think and come to a conclusion as to whether he could re-join or not. After the Fantasia and the Battle of Fairy Tail, Laxus had understandably been asked to leave. Yet, he could not help but still feel as if home was in Magnolia with Fairy Tail. He missed them, sometimes. During the calm and quiet evening when normally they would be causing a ruckus. He missed the visits of the council, when they would all pound the guards to release one of their friends. He missed Mira's smile, Gramps' perversion and Cana's drunken ways. He missed Gildarts the most though. The man had always be almost like a second father.

"_Laxus!" this was the third time she said his name, and she was getting a bit fed up. "Laxus!"

The man shot up as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt. She hid a smile behind the shadow of her hood and handed him a plate of food.

"_eat, we will talk about the Pandemonium afterwards."

Laxus knew very little of the Pandemonium, a court of demons they had to destroy. None really knew what they were or what their goal was. He figured Nox and him would share the meagre information they knew with one another, maybe Garmr filling in on some details but the extent to which she knew her topic baffled Laxus.

"_the Pandemonium isn't a joke." She said, after he had given her all the information he knew. "I saw it once. Garmr was with me that day." The Helhound nodded, and Laxus wondered if it was the day Garmr had offered his loyalty to the woman. "The Pandemonium consists of one Demon King and his court. All are demons."

"_do we have any ideas as to the numbers?" he asked.

"_sadly we do. The demon king has seven counsellors. It is most probable these will be the ones we will have to fight, considering the King very rarely leaves the Underworld. Apart from those seven counsellors, there are twenty one Nobles. Those two categories of demons form the High Court, which is protected by two hundred and fifty nine guards, served by one hundred and twenty six servants. The guards and the servants form the Serving Court. They will be the first to die. Above the Serving Court in status, but under them in power is the Lower Court, composed of one hundred and thirty three Middle Class Demons, ranking from strong B classes to weaker C classes. Then, the last are the Lower Class demons. They are from a strong D class to a weak E class, and rank on the same level with the servants. The only difference is that the Lower Class demons have freedom, which the servants lack."

"_that's a lot of demons..."

"_777 albeit the King. He will most likely not be present, considering he has other courts to see to and is too important to be risked in a land where mages are as strong as on Earthland."

"_how do you know so much?" there was a silence, before Nox's laugh awkwardly broke the stillness. She gripped the hem of her hood, before looking at him.

"_my best friend is a Helhound, I would know that kind of stuff." Garmr affectionately rubbed his head against her cheek and her fingers scratched under his throat. He purred in content, before settling onto her laps.

"_Garmr..." she whined. A small smile stretched Laxus' lips, as the Helhound winked at him from where his head was resting on her knees.


	6. Chapter 6 The Gate

They had now been travelling together for some time, three long weeks filled with travelling through the disheartened landscapes. Trees, spreading their charred fingers to the sky seemed to cry in the beating winds as the unending blast of hurling sand willed to swallow the three figures whole. Laxus had pulled the hem of his coat over his ears, trying desperately to keep the intrusive sand from beating them red. Garmr was up to the neck in the blood like grains, his paws sinking with every step he took. Only Nox did not appear fazed by it, her feet moving with such speed over the desert that she barely had time to sink more than three centimetres in. Everywhere around them, skeletons of beasts not strong enough to resist the merciless cold of the ice desert were thrown on the frozen ground, their skulls forever set in the deathly, stretched smile of their dislocated jaws. Garmr sank again, his head disappearing under the blood red hail. Nox turned around, coming to a standstill above a slowly sinking plank of rotting wood. Her gaze fixed on the two ears of her hound peeking out of the red sea as she spoke. Her words were the first of a few days, breaking the holy silence of the desert.

"_go back, Garmr." Laxus looked at her, his face a mask of shock. What did she mean, go back? Was she sending Garmr away?

The Helhound rose his blood red eyes to her face, before vanishing into the shadows of his mistress. Laxus' face now openly displayed the confusion he experienced.

"_rather real, don't you think?" her words shook him out his reverie, as his gaze settled on hers. She appeared so cold, in the frozen landscape, staring down to him from her slowly sinking lifeline. She stepped onto the sand as the last splinter disappeared, and he noticed that even though she was not moving she did not sink, unlike him who had to lift his boots full of sand with every steps he took, dragging his wide body and leaving a trench everywhere he stepped. She smiled, a crooked but warm smile, as she said again;

"_I can call upon him. Garmr is much like a spirit because of his nature as a Helhound." He noticed the storm was dying, slowly and painfully as the bite of the sand turned to caress. Her hands left the hem of her hood, and she extended her arms. Her fingers opened, the sand swirling in great arabesques around her.

"_how do you not sink?" questioned the mage.

"_everything around is dead, dying and begging for an end. They would not swallow one of them."

His brow creased, as he tried to decipher her meaning.

"_the storm seemed to have lifted, come on."

She waited for the man to reach her level, before she started walking again. She remained next to him, and they watched, walking, the sun set behind the skeletal horizon of this tortured landscape.

* * *

"_here you go." Laxus handed over to Nox a bowl of something that could be called food. The rather liquid mush was slopping and swirling in her bowl, a few pieces of meat coming to the surface here and there. She carefully brought it to her nose, sniffing wearily at the unknown substance. He watched her, both anxious and amused. If she didn't like his cooking, she could very well go do it herself. An inaudible sigh escaped his lips when she brought the bowl to her lips and took the first mouthful. He kept on looking at her from the corner of his eyes, trying to gauge her very guarded reaction. No word was exchanged as both sat around the meagre camp fire they had built, somewhere in the expense of frozen ice and sand. He had just finished his bowl, when Nox set hers back down, and spoke with a small smile.

"_I think you should be on cooking duty from now on."

That sounded like a compliment.

Keeping his smile to himself, Laxus grabbed both their bowls and rubbed them with some sand. Beside him, he could see Nox emptying the pot in some box she had and coming over to wash it. Her hands were working with the efficiency of silence, rubbing until the pot shone under the stars. Her fingers were slightly worn out by the sand, the skin looking mistreated albeit not red in some places. He looked at his own work, going back to scrubbing some leaves that had stuck to the side. Her voice broke the silence.

"_I think there is too much sand in your bowl." He looked at her, then back at his bowl where even less than a fistful of sand sloshed. She smirked, took the dish from him before emptying most of the grains out. When there was only a small layer left, she put her knuckles flat onto it and her saw her gently do circle like motions. She carried on until the bottom of the bowl was lustrous, and moved to the side. Grabbing the second bowl, Laxus crossed his legs and tried to copy the movements. He was surprised at how easily the dirt came, though very soon noticed the constant rubbing of the sand against his knuckles had started to burn. He looked over at Nox, seeing her watching him with an approving smile. When she met his gaze, she nodded and took the bowl from him. Laxus tried snatching it back, and she grabbed a fistful of freezing sand before chucking it at him. He looked stunned, for a second, before he rushed after her into the darkness, a good grip on the sand in his hand.

"_oh no you did not just do that!"

* * *

She could hear his footsteps approaching, sensed the living amongst the dead. Her eyes closed slowly, as she crouched behind a rock and her hands grabbed the frozen sand. Her two fists securely filled with the ammunition, she waited until his silhouette appeared and threw both hands, one after the other, onto his back. He turned, startled, and she took off back to the campfire. He was hot on her heels, as he jumped to tackle her. She was about to swerve the man when her foot caught in the sand, and she landed roughly by the fire, him on top of her. They looked at each other, both covered in the frozen grains and slowly, laughter erupted. Stuck under the grown man, she could feel his chest rumble as he laughed, which only accentuated her laughter. Slowly, the hooded woman came to calm down, her hands pressed against her hips in an attempt to stop them from aching. Laxus was still sprawled on top of her, his head resting beside her neck, in the sand. He rolled over, effectively showering her in sand and both lay on their back, looking at the stars. The fire was merrily crackling a few feet from their heads and they fell asleep there, in the damping sand, looking at the frozen stars. 

As they neared the Pandemonium court, Laxus and Nox noticed the scenery change. The bright, guiding stars veiled themselves behind a curtain of sulphurous smoke, refusing their shine to the unworthy demons. The landscape, dead and twisted before, turned into charcoal mountains and deadly falls. The cold of the desert had left place to the burning freeze of jagged ice. Rivers ran black, carrying frozen bodies of beasts stupid enough to step on the demon's path. Pools of frozen crimson bathed the sides of the unused way, some suddenly boiling in a fraction of second. The way was bordered by shining pebbles, bones of people long dead. The two had stop uttering any sound, the crunching of the path under their boots the only noise daring to break the stillness of death that had token over the tortured landscape. Even the river flowed without a sound in her frozen bed. In the distance, they could make out a natural indent in the middle of a mountain ring. Nox hid a smirk. The Gate. The only place in all Earthland where one could travel in between worlds. Holes were arranged in the sides of the unforgiving cliffs, resting place for travellers between worlds. Nox took the lead of their procession, her body vibrating with the path even though she had never trod on it. It was her way home, something even she could not help but be in synchronisation with the pulsations of the Gate.

"_do you feel this?" asked Laxus, the only words to dare pierce the silence that had settled for the past days. She nodded.

"_a pulsation within your hearts."

Her eyes turned to him, surprised he could sense it. He must have a great amount of magic if he, a mortal, could sense the Gate. She nodded again to his statement, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"_ welcome to the Gate"

She stepped aside, her body having been obstructing his view of the circus inside the mountain ring.

A black platform stood at the centre of the gap, carved with strange signs and pictograms he could not decipher. All around the ring stood hundreds of creatures, most probably demons of the Ancient Realms. He could make out the fires of a group of Balrogs, the ice of a band of Joturns. His eyes turned to Nox who did not look phased by the worrying numbers.

"_we would need more than two mages to get rid of all of them!" he whispered in an angry thought. "How are we going to fight them all?"

She blankly looked at him, before smirking and saying in a very calm voice.

"_we are not."


	7. Chapter 7 The Pandemonium Court

At her statement, Laxus' eyes had widened.

"_So, what on earthland are we even doing here? We obviously cannot fight all of them with only you and I, no matter how brilliant you are!" another smirk answered him.

"_good thing you are not then."

"_what?!"

"_I never planned for you to fight them head on."

"_hang on a second. You are not fighting all of them alone."

"_a diversion, Laxus. I will fight them whilst you set up the thunder palace. Then, just as you are about to unleash the power of the dragons, I will step out of the rune barrier Garmr will write and it will be quickly done. Simply and quickly."

"_Thunder palace cannot take out all of them! Their magical abilities are too great!"

"_don't worry, I'll take care of that."

She stood up, as Garmr appeared behind her.

"_the barrier is on." Growled the Helhound

"_good" she petted him. "My cue. Laxus, whatever happens, don't break your concentration."

And she was gone.

* * *

Nox headed straight for the Pandemonium's council. Most of the lower demons held their powers from the elitist advisor, and she knew she needed to hold them off Laxus' trail for the hour that would require the building of the Thunder Palace. Then, with the seven councillor dead, the Pandemonium would be weakened to the extent the Thunder Palace would be enough to destroy not only the demons present but seriously damage the Demon King's powers.

Nox did not fear death. She feared neither pain nor death. All she feared was a cage. A cage in which to rot for all eternity. A cage in which she would be trapped and bound. Asgard had tried, they had failed. No one could bind her to a place. No one could impair her freedom. Death was freedom. Death was the right to chose. And she was death.

She did not try to hide as she entered the weather carved circus. Her hood drawn up as the only obstacle from her foe, she strode in. Garmr running behind her, she saw her loyal Hound carnage his way into the crowd. In a swift movement, her sword was unstrapped from her back. When the first demon ran to her, she was ready.

The Lower Class demon died, beheaded. The one behind him was gutted.

The first Guard Nox encountered was her thirteenth victim. His powers were greater than the ones of the Lower Court demons she had fought up to this point, and she put all her soul into killing him. Letting the Red Hunger take over her sight, Nox drifted into a pattern of kills. Duck, swing, skip, stab, sidestep, behead. Duck, swing, skip, stab, sidestep, behead. And then they were there.

All seven of them stood in their gloriously demoniac splendour. Seven Demon Lords, the most powerful and wisest of them. Won over with promises of peace and prosperity, they had been turned by the Deceiver, by the Demon King, into the deadliest killing machines of all the demonic history. Surrounded by all seven of them, Nox felt their power surge through her veins, their misconceived hate burning their hearts into blackened pits of dying souls. The last embers of a muffled peaceful love chocked by the everlasting darkness. Vazeriel split in her hands. The twin blades she now held elongated into double bladed twin swords. A deadly weapon, as much to the wielder as to the opponent. One wrong move and she was dead.

She never got it wrong before.

The council attacked as one. She ducked under the claws of the first Demon, before twirling her blades in her hands and slicing cleanly through the second who was not looking at her. She was in a sparring match with both the third and the fourth when the first demon recovered from the stroke and turned around. Her back was exposed to him, and he prepared to stab clean through it. Nox felt the shadow of the blow on her back, and clenched her teeth. One last kill.

* * *

The sword hit her back, as the cloak around her melted into a silver Armour. It kissed every inch of her skin, perfectly fitted for a unique wielder. Nox felt the familiar presence of Venia inside of her mind. She welcomed her most trusted ally as Demons looked at her, bewildered. She quickly finished the third Demon before turning around to the first. Her adamant coated foot hit it before it could react, and the Demon fell to the ground, unconscious. Nox turned, grinning to the remaining three Demons after she had finished with the fourth as well.

Two Demons stepped forward, creating a shield with their bodies in front of the seventh Demon. She could sense their magic, coming in waves stronger than before. No. His magic. The Seventh Demon was not a councillor. He was the King. Nox threw the two Demons to the side, anger bubbling inside her core. This thing, this Demon. It was there. She could kill it. Blades met claws, as both held their ground. Nox rotated one of her blades vertically, severing the arm of the beast from his body had he not moved to the side in an attempt to stab her stomach. She parried with her other blade, before the second came back in a flash of light and imbedded itself in the Demon's leg. It howled, as all the Demons around them froze. Then, all Hel broke loose.

The black platform they were standing on glowed in the darkness, and all beast, including Garmr, took a step back from where the two opponents had increased the frequency of the blows. Sidestep. Duck. Chop. Strike. Jump. Hit. Parry. Punch. Skip. Swerve. Not one minute of rest was allowed. Tripping would mean death. Nox had stopped thinking. Her mind was blank, her body moving of its own accord. She could sense the quiet buzzing of Venia in the back of her mind as the Demon King landed a blow on her, before she opened the eyes she had closed and her blades came in a final ark. The strike was so quick the Demon was not able to protect himself. She felt his blade go past Venia.

"Nox!" The voice in her mind shouted in warning.

The blade sliced her shoulder, running down her front to the opposite hip.

Both stared at one another, each final hit having token their very last sparks of energy. Silence had overcome the battle field. Garmr's gaze never wavered from her, as suddenly they believed it was over. Blood oozed out of the wound the Demon King had inflicted upon her, as Venia's buzzing came back to the front of her mind. It was more insistent, repairing torn flesh and halting the constant blood flow. The pain numbed away, as Venia released adrenalin and endorphins in her system. Nox's gaze hardened until she finally looked at the Demon in front of her.

He fell apart.

The four blades had sliced into him like butter, living six curvaceous wounds to claim the Demon's trapped soul. His head toppled off, as his trunk was severed from his right leg and left shoulder. One blade had claimed his arm and neck, another silver slash had his leg. The other two had come back, stoling both his heart and his stomach.

The muffled sound of his head rolling to Nox's feet broke the deadly silence that had fallen on the obsidian platform. Lower Demons looked onto the hooded figure with horror, as Guards and Servants slowly started to fall apart. The cackling of electricity was heard, and for the first time the Demons noticed the little orbs of Electrical energy surrounding them. When their blood red eyes settled again on the dark ring, she had disappeared.

As soon as Nox and Garmr reached Laxus, he unleashed the Thunder Palace. The man looked pale, most likely from the incredible amount of lightning magic the Thunder Palace held within its orbs. She admired the beautiful crackling of the electricity, as flashes concentrated on every being in the circus. Sparks flew everywhere, from a blinding white in colour to a golden red, like a molten flame. She bathed in the screams of the Demons, sensing the charred flesh as the heat burnt and scarred. Dust rose from the ground, hiding behind a veil of secrecy the disasters of the Thunder Palace. A drop of blood reached Nox's face, sliding on her cheek until it claimed her lips. Greedily, she drank it as if it was life itself. Oh, but it was.

* * *

When the smoke cleared, corpses littered the uneven ground of the circus. The body of the Demon King laid alone on the Gate, before it disappeared in a charcoal mist, claiming the soul of the Demon. The platform stood tall, lonely and perfect in this disaster surrounding it. Garmr stepped through the ring of corpses, his paws making no sound against the wet ground. Energy still cackled here and then, as Garmr's first paw touched the obsidian. When he reached the centre of the platform, his blood red eyes locked onto Nox's own and, with a bow of his head, the Guardian of Hel was back by the bridge, keeping watch over the realm until she returned.

Nox watched her only friend walk to the platform, aware he now had to go back. The realm would be in danger if he stayed with her any longer. When he disappeared into the platform's ground, Nox looked away. She was alone now. A small snore coming from behind the bulrushes made her revise her judgement. Maybe not so alone.


	8. Chapter 8 Somewhere to be

When Laxus awoke from his exhaustion induced sleep, Nox was nowhere to be seen. He rose slowly from the ground where he had, quite literally, fallen asleep, and immediately spotted her pack not far from him. He rose, wondering where she might have gone, when he noticed the state of the circus. Previously littered with corpses, the circus looked as if there had been no battle. Everything was gone. No blood tainting the frozen sand, no body carelessly lying in a tangled heap. The area was clear. In between the tortured trees without leaves, he could make out Nox's form. He blushed when he noticed the cream colour of her form and realised the woman was bathing in the river. The dark water had not cleared, though it no longer seemed as threatening as it did, the bodies having disappeared from the surface. He noticed the ice floating on the black river, carried by the current to the back of the woman. She did not seem to have noticed it, though she sidestepped the frozen black at the last minute. He smiled, before lying back down. If she was like the other girls he had ever known, she would not be back for quite some time.

What Laxus might have happened to overlook in his sleep muddled thoughts, was that Nox was everything but normal. And she came back five minutes after Laxus had fallen asleep. With a small pout on her face, she noticed how he had woken up –the footsteps in the frozen sand testifying for his actions. A smirk appeared, as a devilish idea came to her mind. Carefully, as to not wake him, she grabbed the pot from his pack and made a quiet bee line to the barrier of twisted trees, not far off. The river ran behind, still as black as ever. She slipped in between the tortured figures, reaching the black ice in a matter of seconds. Carefully filling the pot with nothing else than cold, black, river water, she turned around.

And fell back in the river.

Because Laxus had just pushed her.

"_oh no you did not just..." her cloak was floating around her in the river, as she raised the pot. His eyes widened, and suddenly, Laxus was covered in water as much as Nox was wet. He jumped in the water beside her, as she swam to the other side in an attempt to get away. Her hands were on the other bank when he launched himself at her, and she barely avoided him by quickly pulling herself out. Then, she stopped, startled by what had happened. Seeing her gaze fixed on the scenery, Laxus looked at the broken landscape, unable to see what she did. He rose beside her, and his mouth fell agape.

As soon as his body had left the water, it was as if an illusion had been lifted, and the whole bank of the river now belonged to someplace else. Luxurious trees grew on this side, wide in their branches and strong in their age. Their tall, proud arms seemed to reach the sun, but one amongst them rose out.

"_Yggdrasil..." Nox had murmured the word, her shaking hands touching the bark of the Ancient Tree. Under her feel, she saw the roots of Yggdrasil, deep into the earth and further, through the fourth, fifth and sixth worlds, into the seventh. Her home. Under her, people devoid of magic moved from crowds to crowds, city to city. She saw the dragons roaring in Muspell, the Joturns and her father, Loki, conversing in Nifelheim. And, through the fire, the flesh and the ice, she saw her home. She saw Garmr, guarding the entrance to Hel. She saw the roots of Yggdrasil, where the three streams rolled from. She saw the well of knowledge, and the three Norns. Raising her head, she saw the realm of the new gods until finally, Asgard stood before her.

Vaguely, Nox felt Laxus touch Yggdrasil. She could sense his surprise through the Great Tree, the pass between worlds. She could see his seeking gaze, rushing through the worlds of above. She could sense his awe at the gods, his amusements at the New-gods. Those who decided, by order of the Norns, which powers to give to which humans in order to be mages. He saw the Lighting God, who winked at him from his Thunder Palace. He noticed the spherical orbs all around him, bigger than what he had ever made and crackling with energy. And when his gaze drifted downwards, he saw his dragon. Or, what would have been his dragon was he a first generation dragon slayer. It was a female. He could tell by the delicate markings on her scales. Her body was yellow in colour, with some scales appearing of blinding light, whilst other seemed of molten gold. He recognized immediately the colours of his lightning, and a strange feeling settled in his stomach. What however startled him the most, was when Nariko turned her head to him, and winked. His eyes widened at the kind gesture, and he lamely stretched a small smile onto his lips. The dragon laughed, before flicking her tail. The underside was a deep blue in colour, electrifying Laxus. He knew this colour; he could sense the power surging through him. In fright, he parted from the tree, panting. Nox was standing by his side in a flash, a twinkle in her eyes.

"_I take it you met Nariko ?"

"_how did you guess?" there was sarcasm in the question, though Laxus could not help but be genuinely interested in the answer.

"_you are a first generation now." His eyes widened.

"_what?!"

"_you no longer have a lacryma implanted. She melted it into your core, accepted you as one of hers. You are a dragon slayer now. She taught you something, didn't she?"

The memory of the blue lightening struck through his head. She did.

"_and you can do it."

Their eyes met. She believed in him. After travelling together for a month, she believed in him more than he did in himself. Her hood fell back.

"_I believe in you, Laxus. The guild that shunned you will need you before the end."

* * *

Had she known that guild was Fairy Tail, she would have killed Laxus on the spot. She would have beheaded him before their friendship developed. But as the Norns wished it, she befriended a Fairy. Someone, something she thought to destroy. Fate manifests itself in the strangest of ways.

* * *

Laxus did not expect her to let her hood fall. In the month they had travelled together, not once had Nox let her hood fall. Without it, she almost looked fragile. Her face was as pale as death, her eyes seemingly too wide for her face. Her nose was not right, and her mouth purple. Yet, all the features came together to make a whole, and the whole did not look too bad. Her beauty seemed exotic, her features organizing a chaos. Her eyes, however, struck him. They were both black, though their pupils were different colour. Her left one was as red as blood, a drop of blood in the darkness. Her right was silver. His hand came to slide by her cheek, before he pulled her into a hug. Her arms sneaked around his tall stature, and she whispered in his ear one more time;

"_I believe in you."

Laxus' mind was spinning faster than ever, trying to make sense of what had happened. Nox, or rather Rezef as she had asked him to call her when her hood was down, was sitting beside him, staring into the campfire. They had decided to stay of the side of the river where Yggdrasil grew, making it far easier for them to survive. However, Laxus could not help but be preoccupied by what he had seen through Yggdrasil.

The Great Tree had shown him much, shaking his very being and core beliefs. He no longer knew. Before, he had been persuaded his power had come from because he was Makarov's grandson, and had always wanted to prove to others he was not just that. That he was more. He had started the Fairy Battle in an attempt to make the guild he loved stronger, and had failed to see how strong it truly was. Yet, despite all his mistakes and misconceptions, not only Nariko but Rezef as well had accepted him. Without knowing anything of him. They had offered their friendships to him, had allowed him to start anew. And then, Nariko had offered him something he had dreamt of all his life; becoming a real dragon slayer. He felt the power surge through him, and he knew. No longer did he feel like a fake. He was now a dragon slayer. A real dragon slayer. Nariko had shared the techniques of the secret art with him. She had allowed him to see deeper into his magic, become one with it.

He wasn't sure he deserved it. He was no longer sure he deserved it. And then there was Nox. Or rather Rezef. She had barged in, with that dog of hers, had totally turned his bearings upside down and, for once, he didn't mind. She had pull the biggest stunt of all times on him, forcing him not to rush into battle but to remain behind and set the trap. It had calmed him. It had made him grow up. No longer did he regard those who stayed behind with disdain. They were important, were vital to the fight. She had shown him this. She had also shown him there was always a way out of things. Always. She had shown him tricking was not deceiving, and she had offered him friendship. She and Garmr had been his crutch during a month, as he was starting to believe he would be nothing without Fairy Tail. She had driven him forward, had shown him that Fairy Tail did not define him, though he did define Fairy Tail. He had learnt he was part of a whole. A magnificent whole. Something precious he had to seek to maintain. Something he must protect. Something he had to share with others.

And Laxus was grateful for it.

As a small smile appeared on his face, he turned to her.

"_have you seen Garmr?"

She shook her body, chasing away the thoughts she had been in.

"_yes." She said in a soft voice. "he has gone back."

"_back?"

"_to his realm. He must guard it."

Laxus accepted the explanation, simply understanding there were things he still had to know.

"_I'll have to tell..." his sentence stopped, as his eyes filled with pain. He would not be able to tell anyone. She looked over at him, and sighed.

"_common, get up."

He looked at her, wondering.

"_common." She insisted. "Get your arse up and going. We have somewhere to be."

"_do we now?"

"_yep."


	9. Chapter 9 Somewhere to Belong

Rezef, or rather Nox since her hood was up, led him through the darkness of the night. Heavy thunderclouds had obscured the moon from his sight, dimming the glow until all he could make out around him was shapes. Against this blackened landscape, not even their fire had been able to chase the shadows. It had long been chocked by the oppressing dark, until he could no longer see where he trod. All he could make out was the Nox's form against the last rays of light and her pale hand holding his own, showing him the path forward. He trailed behind her, his sight lost to the moonless night. He could have been blind, he would have not sensed the difference. Yet, the night was not threatening. It held a peaceful serenity, a quiet oblivion in which he happily drowned his worries. The only thing that mattered to the moment was the quiet footsteps he took, the thumping of his heart and the smaller hand, nestled in his and leading him somewhere he did not know.

He did not think he had that much faith in her, and yet he had laid much more than just his hand in hers. He had laid his life.

* * *

Whilst the trip there had token the two of them one month to accomplish, the way back had proven to be much longer. Probably because both of them had been messing around too much, getting only half of the distance they used to cover in one day. However, the two mages did not mind one bit; both were too blissful to be even able to register it took them longer. Rezef and Laxus would wake up when the sun was high, have a simple breakfast of whatever berries she could find around them and set off. They would come across a stream somewhere in the grassy land they encountered and mock about, as one would always find a way to push the other in or they would trip or simply sit and rest. They would pull up their tents in the middle of the afternoon, and Laxus would go hunt for dinner. They would eat and look at the sky, her and him sharing their knowledge of the stars. Finally, their day would end with one of them telling the other a tale, be it of the seven kingdoms if it was Rez's turn or of Fairy Tail. Eventually, they would fall asleep when the night was no longer young and sleep by one another, sharing the little heat they needed to last the night.

The landscape had quickly changed as they went further and further away from the platform and the natural circus, as if the Gate was glad to get rid of them. Rezef was not surprised, as it was not natural for people to travel in between worlds. The Gate allowed them to, but was always reluctant to let humans mess with Time and Space Continuum. It was therefore not surprising both enjoyed the way back more than the way there. The tension that existed on their way there had also vanished, understandably now they had defeated the Demons. A sense of invincibility had token over them, and Laxus had sometimes caught himself smirking, thinking of how surprised Fairy Tail would be when they learnt of what he had done. If they ever did.

Laxus was grateful for Rezef's presence. The woman could always pull him out of his thoughts, always shaking him out of his painful reverie. Yet, Rezef also sometimes took a forlorn look as her eyes glazed over and she thought of those people she had lost. They never really talked about her past, him understanding it was hard for her. He often had a lump in his throat when he narrated to her stories of his Guild, and had yet to say its name. It had been hard for him to get talking but he had found it helped. Yet, saying Fairy Tail's name was accepting he had been banished. It was agreeing to the punishment. And whilst he did not find the strength to deny that he had sinned against his family, he could not help but wish for them to forgive him.

Rezef grabbed his hand.

"_common, fat arse. Get up. Dinner won't come on its own."

"_what did you just call me?" he mock threatened.

"_me? I have not uttered a word. You must be dreaming" she poked her tongue out. "dreaming ~"

"_urgh. When I catch you..."

"_you can always dream!" she laughed, taking off running. He shook his head and sprinted after her.

Whatever they both said, they were glad to have one another in this very moment.

* * *

Lastly, three months after departing from Peche, they had the little town in their sight. They had been walking up a green hill, trees planted here and there with a small stream running down when they had reached the flat crest. Both had stopped, a strange feeling of pride swelling in their hearts when they had noticed the sea in the distance. It was sparkling in the late sunset, the waves sending the reflections of the darkening sky, like thousands of little mirrors. The sense of pride due to returning alive had vanished when their gaze had settled on the smoke rising from the town below. Chimneys joyfully puffing cloud of white smokes in the spring evening, the town of Peche laid a day's walk from where they stood. Rezef, drawing up her hood, had turned around and retraced her footsteps to a small platform half way down the hill. She was soon joined by Laxus.

It would have been easier, for both of them, to camp on the top of the hill. It would have been safer, they would have had a better sight on their surroundings, yet they could not bring themselves to. In a day, they would have no reason to stay together. The seemingly enjoyable journey would end; they would go each their own ways. They would probably never meet again, or briefly in between jobs.

* * *

The dim fire did nothing to hide the wild beauty of the stars, yet they were slightly veiled by the presence of the town. The night sky, usually black as her hair was now a pale Midnight blue. The stars faintly glowed, their twinkling light holding no comfort for the two mages. Even the fire seemed to have stop its joyful crackling, the flames to have lost their warmth.

"_Nox..." she turned to him, a poor smile stretching her lips. One of her eyebrows rose, asking silently for him to go on.

"_where are you going to go now?"

"_I don't know." The answer had been murmured, shy confession she did not want to leave. "and you?"

"_I don't know either. I am not sure. Maybe I will try to go back."

She smiled, painfully. Maybe she would try to go back as well. Go to the Nirvit mountains one last time then take back her place. Maybe the holidays were over for her. Garmr had been looking over her kingdom for twenty years now, she would have to go back at one point. Before Loki and Sigyn could no longer cover up for her absence.

* * *

When the old lady saw Laxus and the hooded girl push the door to her inn, her eyes widened. The glass she had been polishing fell onto the counter, rolling down the length until the lightning mage caught it, a smirk on his face.

"_we are back, Old lady."

The hooded woman had hit Laxus on the head, a smirk playing on her lips.

"_be polite." He snorted.

"_when are you ever polite?"

She did not bother replying, but rather turned to woman.

"_we came back for the reward."

"_Nox, why in such hurry?" the so called Nox stuck her tongue out, replying childishly.

"_because, unless your senses have dimmed, I am stinking, craving a good shower and a real bed."

"_jeez, I would think I was hearing Lucy."

Lucy. The old woman's heart beat slightly faster. So he was now talking about Fairy Tail... Nox must have changed something in him.

"_I take it you completed the quest?"

"_no duh..." It was Laxus' turn to hit her upside the head.

"_be polite." She snorted.

"_when are you ever polite?"

The woman had a feeling of déjà vu...

"_sadly, I do not have the money."

Both pairs of eyes snapped back to her.

"_however, the person who posted the request has it. they are not in town for the moment but should be back in less than a week's time. They posted the request because their daughter's husband came from a town not far off from the desert."

Nox nodded, before she asked

"_any ideas as to when they will be back?"

"_sometimes this week. I can rent you a room if you want. If you help out with the weekends I can make it free, considering you guys just eradicated demons..."

They looked at one another, quietly wondering whether it was worth it. After a smile from her, Laxus turned back to the woman.

"_when does the shift start?"


	10. Chapter 10 Flawed Plans

"_I am afraid though, it is only a two bed room I can spare." Both shrugged, making a smile appear on Alma's face. The Old lady, to Laxus' surprise had a name... both mages invaded their room for a week, a silent agreement being made on who had which bed. Nox always took the one nearest to the window. Laxus had never questioned. She had carefully placed her small pack by the foot of the bed, whilst Laxus threw his onto his bed sheets. He then proceeded to remove his boots and lie down as she took a bar of soap out of her bag and immediately went into the bathroom. He chuckled slightly before dozing off to sleep.

When Rezef came back out, dressed in a towel, Laxus was fast asleep on his bed. She quickly got dressed, before turning to the tall man. She laughed when she noticed he had fallen asleep with his earphones and coat on, before removing both of them from his person. Once the coat was neatly hanging off the back of a chair she sat on the end of his rather big bed and put his earphones on.

Laxus cracked an eye open when he felt the weight at the end of his bed, before seeing Rez with his earphones on. It took a while for his sleep fogged mind to register they were his, before he snuggled back asleep. Let her keep them for a while, she looked cute with them on.

* * *

Laxus had arrived to the job request, three months ago, on a Monday morning. He still remembered Alma's face when he told her he wanted to go on the 100 years quest, and how she had outright refused to stamp it. He had lingered at her inn for a few nights, until Nox had arrived on the Friday afternoon of the same week, and never had he seen the inn as busy as it was, on this Friday evening. Nox was swerving through tables, balancing two trays of drinks and managing not to spill anything. Alma had raised her eyes to the heavens when she had seen the girl, muttering something that looked a lot like "mages..." he had smirked, before taking two trays. No way this girl was outdoing him. They had shared the room, and Nox would serve all the tables on the left of the entrance whilst he would do the ones on the right. Both mages were everywhere at once, having an incredible stamina for two people just coming back from a mission. More people kept coming and coming, until even Alma was amazed.

"_never before have I had so many people in my inn." She said to Nox once the shift was over.

"_really? Why?"

"_the old Ted and his wife are quite famous for the request they set. No one could believe any mage would be crazy enough to take it. It seemed like suicide. And then, you and Laxus came along. After you had left, the old Ted came in, and the whole town heard his shouts of joys when he saw the quest gone. Everyone was looking forward to meeting you two." Nox smiled.

"_I feel flattered..."

"_flattered about what?" asked the deep voice of Laxus from behind. She did not even jump, making Alma smile. Those two got along quite well... maybe a little too well...

"_apparently we are quite famous in this town."

"_famous?!"

"_this quest was... erm... no one expected people to take it and come back from it alive."

He smirked, and before he said something stupid, Nox wacked him over the head. She turned to Alma, to woman raising an eyebrow at her.

"_what time do you need us back, tomorrow?"

"_the people start trickling in at seven, if that is not too much trouble."

"_sure, we will be there!" Nox then turned to Laxus. "common, lazy butt."

"_when I get you..."

"_IF you get me..." she started, running off laughing into the stairs. Less than a second later, Alma was chuckling to herself in the empty room, hearing the two chasing one another upstairs. She turned the old oil lamp off, before leaving the bar room in complete darkness.

Maybe, Laxus and Nox coming to Peche had been as beneficial for them as it would turn out to be for the town itself.

* * *

Tonight was the last night Laxus and Nox were required to work, until the next weekend. Both were looking forward to not having to run around until one in the morning, starting to feel the weariness of both the journey and the job upon their shoulders. The Sunday night was one of the most crowded so far, especially when Nox and Laxus were serving. The little town had come to quite like the two mages, and they had brought back both life and happiness to Peche. Youngsters looked up to them, whilst adults recalled with fondness the time before Peche became the small town that it is. It used to be a big city, key harbour to importation. And then one day, the system R struck. All the children and some of the elderly were token away to work in towers such as the tower of Heaven. There were no young adults left in Peche.

It had token a while for Nox and Laxus to understand the story, but Laxus' knowledge of Erza's past had helped the elderly people to accept the mages quicker. To the children, it was as if Christmas had come early. Laxus, despite his gruff appearance, was kinder than Nox. He would often play with the kids, and even talked to the parents of those who had magic powers, telling them of teachers living not too far off, to whom they could send their kids. Nox, on the other hand, felt constricted in the town. She yearned for the long expanses of plains and often they could see her riding out in the morning and coming back later at night, to Laxus awaiting for her at the inn. She would remain in the fields all day long, hunt a little and run. Run, run as if her life depended on it. She would help anyone lost, sometimes pinch in with chores and such, before setting off running again. Nox was a free spirit.

Therefore, on that Sunday night, the town was quite busy. Everyone was crammed in Alma's inn, which could surprisingly hold this many people. Nox and Laxus were serving, when an old man and his wife entered. They marched straight up to the duo, a younger couple following behind them.

"_are you the one who took the request?" asked the old man.

"_Ted, go easy on them..." protested the woman next to him.

"_I am merely asking."

"_yes, it was us." answered Laxus, his voice guarded.

"_do I have any proof of your success?"

"_wait for a month and when no reported demonic attacks will arrive, you will have it." replied Nox, a bit fed up with this man's attitude.

"_and I assume you suggest I give you the money now."

"_yes." Her answer was curt, and her temper was rising.

"_no."

Laxus, sensing a storm approaching, placed a soothing arm on Nox's shoulder before turning to Ted.

"_what do you want as a proof?"

"_anything."

"_we left and cleaned up the area of the fight. If you went there you would see nothing." Argued the lightning mage.

"_no proof, no pay."

"_here is your proof." Nox dumped a medium sized packet at Ted's feet, smirking. "open it" she urged.

The man carefully bent down, his gaze never leaving her body, before he set the packet on a nearby table. He slowly began unwrapping it, before a horrid stench of sulphur invaded the room.

"_what is that?!" asked Laxus, seeing a pair of horns.

"_I thought that since I had defeated the King, I could keep his head..."

"_you don't just keep random people's heads! Where are you going to put it now?! I am not sleeping with that on the bedside table." shouted the lightening mage, throwing his hands up in the air and turning to the woman next to him.

"_but... I am keeping it as decoration for my house!"

"_you don't have a house."

Her face froze.

"_darn... I knew my plan was flawed..."

Laxus face palmed, before both of them burst out in laughter. Slowly, the room that had been stunned into silence joined the two in their laughter, all tension gone from the atmosphere.

The old Tom packed the head back up, before he turned to his wife and his daughter, standing next to her husband. He nodded, and before leaving told Laxus:

"_if you come to my house, tomorrow, I can give you the reward." A small nod from the blonde was all the man needed before he turned on his heels and left without looking back.


	11. Chapter 11 The Glass Cabinet

"_wake up!" the gruff voice of her partner woke Rezef up on the Monday, her head willing to die from lack of sleep. She forced herself up, before clinging onto the man;

"_I don't wanna leave..." her face scrunched up at the thought of getting dressed, and he sighed in annoyance. Both him and her slept in the bare minimum, which meant a tank top and shorts for her and pyjama bottom for him, and he would have blushed at having her so close to him had he not grown immune to it by staying three whole months with her.

"_get up." He said in a bored voice, the third time this morning.

"_no." came the childish response.

"_otherwise, I'll get all the money."

She was up and in the bathroom in a flash.

"_no! My money!"

"_you already have your head!" shouted the man, laughing. A grumbled reply, which looked a lot like fuck off, reached his ears and he sprawled back onto his bed, waiting for his companion to get out of the bathroom. From his right, the head was looking at him; its deformed eyes shaped by terror and pain.

Women...

* * *

The place the old Ted lived in must have been the fanciest in town. It was a rather large house, though nothing like a mansion, and it stood a little away from the main body of the town. There was a garden, filled with flowers and bees and a little path made of white pebbles that lead to the front door. Laxus was the one to knock on the white paint, and watched it as it scaled and slowly peeled off the door, revealing dark wood under it. The peep hole turned inside, and soon the door opened, revealing a younger woman than Mrs Ted. Must be their daughter though Laxus, and was later on proved right when Mrs Ted came to the hallway.

"_Dana, darling, will you please get your father whilst I show the guests to the dining room?"

The woman was around sixty, her whitening her pulled into a lady's bun. She had a rank of pearl around her neck and wore a pale blue shirt under a white cardigan with matching white trousers and pale blue sandals. She looked elegant, though it seemed effortless. Nox already liked the woman. As Laxus and her were motioned in, the Lady of the House made to take their coat. Laxus, regretting it already, handed over his coat as Nox express her regrets to not being able to take off her cloak. The Lady looked at her with surprise but had the decency not to ask and rather lead the two to the dining room. She motioned for them to sit around the wooden table whilst she poured them tea and brought out biscuits. Soon after they were sat and the lady was politely chatting with her guests, Ted came in. Almost immediately, the conversation stopped as all three rose to greet the man. He nodded to his guests before kissing his wife and taking a seat.

"_let's get to the point, Nox and I have another job soon." She hid her surprise before nodding. Let's play along.

"_I will not lie to you, I don't have the money."

"_we expected that."

"_however, maybe we can arrange something. I own quite a few magical items I don't have a use for, since no one in our family since my great grandfather was a mage; you can chose from them." both mages looked at one another, before rising.

"_we are following you."

* * *

The old man had not lied when he had said he had relics. And most of them were rare. As soon as she entered the Hall of the Family, Nox noticed the aura of the place. Ted was not as poor as he was letting on. He showed them to a glass cabinet, before telling them to choose two or three items each from the objects displayed there.

The glass cabinet was made of four shelves, each containing six objects. On the top shelf were expensive looking amulets. On the second were cups, on the third were necklaces, but it is the very last shelf that caught their attention. The objects on the bottom shelf were seemingly the less precious of the twenty four displayed, some being made of rusty metals, or stained with blood. However, Laxus and Nox were sensible to the objects' aura, and almost all of them were emitting strong magical presences. So strong, Rezef thought for one second they were magical relics from dark mages. Both wizards crouched at the same time to have a better look. The shelf held a pair of headphones, two chains, a pair of earrings and a chocker. Immediately, Nox and Laxus knew about who would get what. The old Ted came to stand next to them, before he smiled and opened the cabinet.

"_now, I am sure you are not frauds."

Laxus' questioning gaze turned to him.

"_even after seeing the head, I had my doubts. But only strong mages could sense the magical energy of these objects. Frauds would have chose the upper level ones."

"_you were testing us?!"

"_yes and no." the man got the bottom shelf objects out, before heading to the dining area.

"_come and stay for lunch, I will tell you all about the objects you chose."

* * *

Nox and Laxus were seated, side by side, at the grand mahogany table. The lady of the house, Mrs Ted, had gone to fetch their daughter and her husband, taking the opportunity to show Laxus where the restroom was, whilst Ted explained to Nox the properties of the objects they chose.

"_the chains and the earring belonged to my great grandfather and his wife." He started, looking at them fondly. "on their own, they are worth nothing more than a pretty pair of jewellery, but their true powers lie when separated."

"_what do you mean?" asked Nox, curious as to the magical powers of the objects.

"_the Glass Cabinet only shows what you need to know. Those present it made to you are not the present you wanted. They are the presents you will need."

"_are you implying the Glass Cabinet works like a kinder form of Galadriel's Mirror?" the man nodded, smiling at the comparison.

"_yes, more or less. Which makes the presents it made to you of great values, not because of their worth but because of their future uses."

Nox fingered the chains. They were made of a rusty silver metal, seemingly about to break in two. However, when one looked closer, they had characters engraved into the rings of the chain, casting a spell upon the wearer of the cloak it would close.

"_these are the Chains of the Palantiri. They allow a pair of people, of which one must be a mage, to communicate through their emotions.

"_Maguilty Sense?"

The man nodded, before settling his gaze back on a frowning Nox.

"_this magic is dangerous. It could lead to both the holders' deaths!"

"_if one is immune to both death and old age, then the other is as well. As soon as you wear the Chains of the Palantiri, you are linked."

Nox recoiled in her chair, her eyes widening.

"_who are you? You are not human!"

"_no, you are right." said Ted when his wife, daughter and son-in-law entered. The four Gods dropped their disguise, as Nox's face turned away from then in pure rage.

"_what is going on in here?"


	12. Chapter 12 Of Gods and Goddesses

Laxus had just come back from the toilet to find Nox, her face distorted by rage, looking away from what appeared to be four people, though they could not be Ted and his family. Two of those people gave an air of power, standing tall in front of the table. The man of the couple had lost his eyes, the other cleverly taking in every details of Nox. His bottom half of the face was hidden away by a beard, black as night. on his shoulder were perched two crows.

Next to the man stood a beautiful woman. Her hair was fair as gold, her skin white as milk. She appeared to be this man's lady, though she was not inferior to him.

Behind the couple stood the ones who had been posing as the daughter and her husband, a discreet woman and a fiery red headed androgynous man. It took a few seconds for Laxus to take everything in, before he was at Nox's side.

"_I would still like to know what is going on." He repeated, his tone less than pleasant.

"_it appears, my dear Laxus" Nox's voice was dripping with venom "that the person who had ordered the quest was not quite what he seemed to be."

"_so, who are they?"

"_may I introduce myself, Odin. This is my wife, Frega, and those two are Loki and Sigyn. They took care of..."

"_I believe that is enough introductions." Cut him Nox. "Now, I am expecting you to tell us quickly the other abilities of those trinkets we chose and we shall be on our way."

Laxus smirked. Oh, she was feisty. The man named as Odin shook his head, before sitting back down and taking the earrings.

"_those are the Earrings of Thorongor. They work in pair with the chains and allow you to summon the other holder of the earring."

"_so I assume they are made to be shared?" asked Laxus. The man merely nodded, before he handed one to each of the mages. The earrings were nothing particular. The one Odin had given Nox was made of an entirely black gem, sharp like a razor's edge. It was encased in what she recognized as Mythril, one of the strongest materials in the Seven Worlds. The silvery metal did not rust, nor did it tarnish. It upheld its splendour for centuries and millennia, never changing shape. Laxus', on the other hand, was very different. The gem he had received had been a diamond. Shaped, as Nox's in a kite like shape with the underside elongated, the diamond looked as deadly as hers. Instead of the Mythril holding it up, his looked like gold. It was most probably an alloy, considering the softness of the latter. At any rate, the earrings were very different, and looking at Nox and Laxus who now donned them, the only link would be their shape. Both mages had, luckily, their ears pierced and it was easy for them to slip the earrings on. Next came the chains, which Laxus scrunched his nose at. The chain was rusty and old, it would most likely stain his forest green coat. Nonetheless, he slipped it on and, to his surprise, the chain adapted until it bore similar patterns to his earrings. The man turned to Nox, whose chain was now black and silver, like a starless night where the only glow in the darkness was the moon. He was the sun, and she was the moon.

As soon as Nox had finished putting hers in, Laxus felt a surge of anger wash over him. He knew the feeling was not his, because it felt so foreign inside him, and yet it did not feel intrusive. It took his quite some time to understand it was Nox's, and his concern grew. She must have felt it, because a soothing caress soon overcame his mind, and his eyebrows shot up at the wordless communication they were able to have. His surprise was not lost on Nox, who laughed.

"_the communication is somewhat disturbing now," carried on Odin "because of how physically close you two are. When you part ways, it will be easier to control what passes to whom." Odin then turned to the respective relics they had chosen. He grabbed the earphones first, handing them over to Laxus.

"_those are the Pods of Narya. They are this world's incarnation of the great Ring. The Pods give you strength when weariness over comes you, courage when all seems to have fled and the ability to sway crowds and persuade them to do the good in this world. The Pods will work wonderfully well with your magic, considering their "home" form is found in fire. Take good care of them, Laxus Dreyar. Narya will most likely destroy you if you seek to do evil."

"_all the better then." He gruffly replied, before taking the pods and linking his music to it.

Nox smiled. That was her Laxus.

"_and to you, Nox, the Chocker of the Dead. The relic was emptied of its magic long ago by Zeref himself, when he realised the extent of the powers of the Chocker. May you take good care of it."

She shrugged. Dead or not dead, the Chocker looked cool.

"_Nox!" shouted the discreet woman, Sigyn.

"_hey." She lamely waved, as Laxus' gaze came to rest on her. Sensing her hesitation in her mind, he gave her a gentle push of courage and she turned to him, grinning.

"_you are getting so good at this." He snorted, before she opened her eyes and Sigyn came to give her a hug.

"_I missed you, darling." She whispered in her daughter's ear, unaware of the dragon senses Laxus had inherited.

"_so did I, so did I." Nox smiled to her foster mother, before kissing her forehead, she waved at her dad and, grabbing Laxus' arm, made for the exit.

"_hey! What about the food!" shouted the young lightning mage.

"_naw... Common... Let's go... I'll buy you dinner, yeah?"

"_at least say thank you!"

"_bah, they don't need thanks." She replied, forcing him to run to the exit as she broke in a sprint. He rolled his eyes, before grabbing her hand more firmly and following her.

* * *

"_so she chose to come the Earthland..." murmured Odin.

"_you shouldn't blame her. The realm of the Dead is not an enjoyable place to be, especially when you have been banned there by your own kin." Reprimanded him his wife.

"_Hel was just bored, Odin. She is not doing anything wrong by being here." The god turned to his red head friend and frowned.

"_she was meant to guard the realm. Not roam the plains of Earthland, killing demons!"

"_Odin!" three gaze snapped to the woman. Sigyn never raised her voice. She never shouted. She never got angry.

She was fuming.

"_don't you think you are not one to speak? She has guarded the realm of the Dead for millennia now! Even you and Thor, as happy as you are in Asgard, often come down to Earthland! She has got the right to take a break! God, it's only for a few years, or centuries. It's not like she is planning on staying on Earthland for millennia, like you and Thor did!"

The god looked taken aback, not expecting this reprimand from the most well mannered, quietest and most loyal goddess. His eyebrows relaxed, before he admitted.

"_I guess she can stay for a bit longer."

Sigyn nodded, satisfied. A bit, or as long as Hel wished.


	13. Chapter 13 The Call

Laxus and Nox were leaving the mansion when he felt something stir inside of him. His body felt as if he had been zapped by electricity, and both stopped at the same moment. The magic which was in Laxus seemed to repel Nox, creating a sense of tearing in her. Both fell to the ground, panting, as the magic in Laxus' body started rejecting Nox. Through the links of the Chains, Laxus could feel Nox being torn away from his mind, being cast aside. He could sense her pain at the magic rejecting her, and immediately his hand shot out to her. When he touched her skin, everything settled. The magic that had been in him entered his body and Nox's as if they were one. Almost at once, Laxus understood what was going on.

"_the Call!"

Gramps had talked to him about it.

* * *

When a master dies, the spirit of Fairy Tail that lives in him is passed onto the successor. The magic of Fairy Tail is the one to chose the successor, and there is no going back allowed. However, what happened to him was a bit different.

Since Laxus had been in a Maguilty sense with Rezef, the magic that had touched him had also had an effect on her. However, the magic did not recognize her as a member of Fairy Tail and tried to push her away. Due to the Chains of the Palantiri, it was unable and Rez had almost died from it. Despite this, since they were still linked, the magic had stopped hurting her as it was hurting him as well and settled when physical contact was made.

It bewildered Laxus. More than one thing in fact. Laxus was surely bewildered by the fact that the magic had sought HIM out, who had been thrown away from Fairy Tail. His heart clenched at the thought that if the magic had thought him out then... However, what startled Laxus the most was that it had more or less accepted Rez. That was, to him, almost unconceivable. Rezef was not part of Fairy Tail. She was never talked about them, and seemed to be pretty clueless as to his guild. So, how? How could the magic accept her?

Laxus didn't know. And even better, it did not bother him that much.

All Laxus cared about was that she was well, and currently looking at him like a monkey.

"_earthland to Laxus."

He swatted her away.

"_silly." She poked her tongue out.

"_that's me ~" she laughed, in a sing song fashion. He shook his head, before putting his serious face on, ready to tell her he had to go. She cut him before he even opened his mouth.

"_I heard everything."

* * *

His eyes looked up to her.

"_what are you waiting for? Go."

With a last smile, Laxus was gone.

* * *

Five minutes. That is how long she lasted before the tears came to her eyes. She felt ashamed, angry. She had fallen in love with a Fairy! A fucking Fairy! The hate he had pushed away from her heart came back, full blown and breaking through any defences she had put up.

Fairy Tail. It would die!

* * *

Rezef had lost no time. She had taken away the disguise on her true nature, letting the cloak fall back to reveal her face. Hel stood, alone in the middle of the path. The mansion had long since disappeared from behind her, Laxus gone and yet still present within her heart. She tried her best to push him away, and yet could not bring herself to remove both the earring and the chain.

She would kill them, and she would die with them.

It was not hard for Rezef to see where Laxus was, considering he had the earring on. All she needed to do was close her eyes and focus on his sight. As she felt her spirit lift away from her own body, the picture around her started to take form. A dense canopy was behind her, with an upside down tree supporting an island on top of another. The vessels of the enemies approaching by sea caught her attention, as she noticed Laxus standing in front of one looking broken down. Ah. Precht. His relic was on his ship, and it seemed one of the guys had figured it out. She smiled, before nodding. Fun times.

Her soul reinvested her body, as Hel looked up to the skies. She closed her eyes, before calling up from within her the beast of the Apocalypse.

"darling" she called within herself. "darling. It is time." A roar answered her.

Where previously a woman stood was now a dragon. Her body was black as charcoal, intricate electric blue designs painted onto the tar like colour. Her head had donned two horns, a needless attempt at increasing her deadliness. Her teeth were sharp, her claws ready.

Acnologia felt the unconditional magic within her soul spread through her wings as she flowed in the air. The winds barely made a noise as she played with them, the air parting to welcome someone, something as magical as them. The great black dragon let its magic flow, her aura's majesty only adding to the awe anyone passing would feel. Hidden by the whitening clouds, Acnologia gained in height, beating sparsely her wings in an effortless action. The hot air current brushed her skin, lifting her surprisingly light frame. From the heavens, the world looked so small, the humans so insignificant.

She watched, flying by, as people got into their carts and moved from little dots to bigger ones. She laughed as crowds dwindled away into a myriad of butterflies, smirked as streams became rivers until; finally, she was on the ocean. The expanse of blue was unending. A wide sea at the south of the universe, a mirror to the last rays of the darkening sun. The waves, like thousands of thoroughly polished surfaces, sent up in the air the scent of the sea. She closed her molten gold orbs, inhaling fully the iodine scent.

Fear coursed through her, as she came in view of the island. Laxus. He had seen her.

Feeling an insufferable anger at the man, at herself, she drew her head back and readied to strike. Her roar would kill them all, destroy this island and avenge her dead family. Her roar would free her from her burden and make her a free spirit again. She closed her eyes, as the beams of chaos formed in her mouth.

The thoughts struck her then.

* * *

_Stay safe._

* * *

He had murmured them in her mind, unaware of how close she was. To her, it felt like a storm. The two words had unleashed something she had carefully hidden, a sorrow she did not want to face.

When her mouth opened, the roar was pathetic. Even she had to admit it; she did not want it anymore. Not when Laxus would be reached. She felt her body transform back, her fragile form plummeting through the air as the Fairy Sphere enveloped her confused mind.

* * *

God dammed Chains of the Palantiri.


	14. Chapter 14 Twenty Tears

Hel knew they held no memories of what had happened in the bubble. They didn't remember crossing the golden bridge of the river, Garmr greeting Laxus and her as heroes. No one remembered the kingdom of Hel like she did, her who reigneth. No one remembered the cool, blinding white light that enveloped them, nor the sweet voices they sung them to an effortless sleep. They would never, for the Kingdom of Hel had only been opened to those dead, and they had come back alive.

Therefore, when the bubble burst and she found herself plummeting to the ground, Hel knew no one would recognize her. Hell, no one would even notice her. She was the shadow upon the sword, the razor edge of the ice. The dark face of the sun. Hel hit the ground without a sound, her already dead divine body turning back to her human shape. Her cloak wrapped securely around her face, she looked around. She stood by the head of a tomb, if the cold stone was anything to judge by. In the distance, she could make out a ship sailing on the horizon, towards the clouds of the land. Her eyes narrowed. You cannot escape fate.

Suddenly, sounds of footsteps on the earth caught her attention, and she whipped around to the face of a young girl. Her magical aura was such she suspected her to be a member of that wretched guild.

"_who are you?" her voice had been harsh, expecting an answer from the fairy.

"_you can see me?! Where is your guild mark." The girl took a step towards her, but Nox stepped back.

"_who are you?"

"_huh? Me?" no, the idiot beside you, thought the older woman. "bah, I am just Mavis Vermillion. First Master of Fairy Tail."

Nox could have killed someone.

"_how can you see me?"

"_don't know. Don't care."

Lies. She knew. Laxus. He was the reason she could see her. And as for the care part, she couldn't believe she was linked to a fucking fairy! It made her wanting to scream, shout, rub her skin red until the magic left. It made her skin crawl at the very thought, made her hate Fairy Tail even more.

_Rez? _

Came the voice of Laxus in her head. Urgh.

_Are you okay?_

The will to tell him to fuck off was so strong, so unbearably strong she had to breathe in and out calmly before she shut all connections. She did not want to hear any more. She was angry.

"_you don't like me!" whined the small white haired girl as a vein popped in Nox's forehead. Keep calm. You are cool and collected. Keep calm. She stretched her neck's muscles a little, happily feeling them roll under her skin, before she got back up and turned to Mavis.

"_listen. You have never seen me, and if you even try to mention my name, I'll remind Odin of you. Clear?"

The little woman seemed to straighten up at the mention of the Father's name, before she scrunched up her nose and puffed.

"_fine. But who are you?"

"_no one." Nox turned around in a flourish of her cloak, hearing the faint shout of the fairy after a few seconds.

"_you must be someone! As long as you live you are someone!"

"_I died when your guild killed my family." Was her reply, her cold voice cutting through the forest as if she had been standing behind Mavis.

* * *

The eyes of the white haired girl widened, before she made her way towards the ship. She had to warn Fairy Tail and prepare for defence against that enemy, she had to understand.

But, who was she?

* * *

The blade dragged against her skin, the jagged edge splitting the already torn flesh. Nox took the blade away from the throbbing of her stomach, waiting for the black blood to fill the cut. It would not spill for she was dead, but the black, voluptuous blood always filled the cut. The pain faded away as the cut smoothed over, replaced by a numbing cold. She brought the edge of the razor to her skin again.

Seven.

That is the number of years she had been stuck on that island. The number of cuts she had currently on her stomach.

Eight.

Her roar had been pathetic.

Nine

She hadn't had the guts to kill Laxus.

Ten

She was worthless, if even emotions refrained her.

Eleven

She deserved to be beaten.

Twelve

She was worthless.

Thirteen

She was not allowed to cry

Fourteen

Tears were only for those who deserved it.

Fifteen.

She was worthless.

Sixteen

Fat, ugly worthless.

Twenty.

She deserved to die.

She had cleaned the blade on some fallen leaves, had admired the rust blossoming on the sharp metal. She could feel the numbing pain on her stomach, the dull ache. Her eyes closed, as tears pricked them.

She was worthless. She didn't deserve the title of Goddess of Hel if she wasn't even capable of fucking killing fairies. They had hurt her!

The chain was burning her skin. She had been repressing Laxus from her mind for the past week, ignoring his tries to get to her. She felt the uncontrollable anger take over her heart, the shame swallowing her whole. Yet, she could not bring herself to hate him.

How could she, when he had healed her wounds? How could she hate him, when he had been there for her? How could she, when he had shown her she was not dead yet?

That was before she knew though. Before she understood what he was. What they were. She had never thought, never dreamt of it even, never had the possibility he was a fairy grazed her mind.

Now, it burnt her like hot iron, like the flames of Muspell. It killed her. It poisoned her.

Good think poison and death were delicacies for her then.

Nox looked around her. The forest she had been staying in was luxurious, tall trees casting cool shadows against the darkening heat of a later summer. Autumn would soon come, tainting the leaves in blood. She loved autumn. It brought winter, her home. It painted the world in the colours of blood, in the colours of war. She thrived off it. The fallen leaves made no sound under her dead body, she weighed nothing. One of the late flowers died as she exhaled upon it, her breath sapping away the life. She was Hel, Goddess of the afterlife and Queen of the Seventh Realm. She was Death. A small smile graced her chapped, frozen lips. She was death, and they were about to die.

* * *

Nox reached the remains of the Nirvana. It hadn't been exactly on her path to get to Magnolia, but she had needed to go there. To expire her crimes. All of her crimes.

The stone structure had been covered by the forest, her tower of darkness the only remain of what once was a battle. A great battle. The forest which had been dying due to Nirvana's presence had grown back, strengthened by the magical energy the stone and her guild had contained. The leaves were thick, the bark young. Had it not been for the mountains, her mountains, in the back ground, she would not have recognised the place. From where she stood, high on the rocky outcrop which once was her home, she could see everything. The lake by which the Cait Shelter once were, the last probing pillars amongst the forest's guardians, the tower which reached the skies. Their tower, their home.

She would never see them again.

* * *

The cave hadn't changed. Even in the seven years she had been gone, almost eight in fact, the cave had remained the same. No dust covered the stone, no grass adorned the walls. The sand was still parted where Midnight once had slept, the shelf he had used as his own still holding up a tube of plum lipstick she must have missed. Her hand seized it, shaking to the point she could barely take the cap of. As soon as it opened, an odour of mint invaded the room. Shaking, she raised the plum to her lips, staining their deathly purple colour. Her hands steadied, as she smeared the colour and slowly the mint intensified. She closed her eyes, feeling a cold hand wrap around her wrist. She felt as if pulled in an embrace, the fur of the jacket she wore tickling her own nose.

"_Rez..." the breeze was singing in the trees. "Live for us. For me."

And as it came, the mint faded.

When she opened her eyes, after the mint odour had disappeared, and the warmth she might have felt had gone, she looked at the ground. A dark, damp circle appeared by her feet, followed by another. it took her a second to notice they came from her, and another to register she was crying. Her hands touched her wet cheeks.

She didn't cry. She was the goddess of death, she did not feel emotion. She could not cry.

The tears doubled.

No! she was heartless like the winter, fearless like the night. she did not cry.

"_live for me..." sung the breeze in the trees.

How could she, when she was dead? Live for me. Did she even deserve life? She felt a caress in her mind.

_Don't cry._

_I wasn't crying. What do you want?_

_What? I haven't talked to you in seven years and no hello? And you are a terrible liar by the way._

_No. you were not the only one to die in those seven years. And why the fuck should you care?_

_What do you mean? Never mind. Where are you?_

_What's it to you?_

_Nox. I want to see you again. I want you to meet my family._

_No way._

_Why?_

Surprise flooded through her, his at her answer.

_Your family killed them, Laxus. Don't think I would forgive them simply because you asked me! I have half a mind to kill you as well!_

Her anger had burst. She had shouted, had snapped. She would have killed him.

_You wouldn't._

_What makes you say that?_

_You love me, just as much as I love you._

Her breath cut short. Her answer came, unsteady.

_Don't think that would stop me._

_I don't think it, I know. You faltered once already, don't think I didn't notice it was you._

There was a silence, then;

_How did you notice?_

_How could I not?_

Another pause, before she could feel him summoning her.

_Come._

She was gone.


	15. Chapter 15 The Question

She materialised in the guild hall, falling right by the bar. Laxus was seated right next to her on a stool, in a conversation with the white haired barmaid. She had not been a part of the light team, and Nox did not quite hate her yet.

As fate would have it, and her family up there must have been laughing currently, Nox appeared in a flash of black light, which would have been enough to grasp anyone's attention. It was topped by her materialising a few centimetres away from the roof, and therefore falling all the way down to the floor.

And of course, Laxus had to catch her. Because, come on. He was Laxus, and he always had to do things in a certain way. So this is how Nox found herself the centre of the attention within seconds of her arrival. And of course, once Laxus had caught her, he had to let her drop. Because he was an arsehole.

Nox being Nox, she was able to land on her two feet. It would have been unbecoming of her to have fallen, considering she would be the one to kill them all in less than a second. Once she was done with lightening boy.

"_I am going to kill you, Dreyar. I will choke you, gut you, throttle you, and castrate you. No, even, better, I will burn your body and leave it to the crows." After a second of silence, she added. "Though I am not quite sure how it is going to work..."

He laughed, a bit sadistically, before patting her head.

"_I missed you to, Nox."

"_don't serve me the bullshit, Dreyar" she added, now entirely serious. "You are an arsehole, you know that?" her tone was dark, threatening.

"_you told me already." He replied, bringing his tankard of beer to his lips.

Her hands grabbed his fur jacket.

"_fucking look at me when I am talking to you! Who do you think you are, bringing me here like that?! Are you so self important you think I am not going to kill all of them for what they did?!"

His cold grey eyes settled onto hers, and she saw he was deadly serious.

"_no."

She took a step back, as he stood up.

"_I am not so much of a dick that I don't think of your feelings when I asked you to come here."

"_summoned."

"_what?"

"_you summoned me here. I didn't have a choice."

Her face was covered by her hood, her gaze everywhere but on him. His hand slowly cupped her cheek.

"_Nox..."

Stubbornly, she refused to look at him. He felt something wet hit his hand.

Cana and Mirajane stared at the couple, quiet. The silence in the guild was broken when she whipped her cheeks and said in a cold, uncaring voice.

"_I'll be gone before They come back. I don't feel like killing someone tonight."

* * *

It's all gonna be okay

She didn't believe him and he knew it. Heck, he didn't even believe himself. But they could try.

* * *

Laxus had never thought Nox coming to the guild would pose this much trouble. For the past months, she had been regularly popping in and out of the hall, often late in the evening when nobody was there. She would sit by the bar, order a beer and Laxus and she would talk until morning. She always came when Wendy, Natsu, Erza, Grey and Lucy were away. Nox had been getting so much better. She had befriended Mirajane and Cana, or as much as she could being well... Nox, , and the two girls did not this she was half bad. She still had to meet the Raijinshu, seeing Laxus feared their reaction, and the Master.

It was therefore late an evening, when Laxus noticed his grandfather coming down the steps. Nox had been sitting by him, and both had their back turned to the old man. Mirajane had been the first to spot him, and when Laxus had seen her eyes widen, he had turned around in shock. Nox beside him had stayed impassive.

"_close your mouth, you look like you are going to catch a fly." She said, bringing her tankard to her lips.

He chocked

"_did you know all along?!" he half spit out.

"_your grandfather has been aware of my presence since the beginning. It is his guild after all. And he had been present to our little... meetings everyday for the past week."

"_and you didn't tell me?" there was a cynical acceptance in Laxus's voice. Of course she wouldn't; she was Nox.

The look she shot him told him the same. He shook his head.

"_why am I not surprised..." he muttered. His grandfather took a stool on the other side of the hooded woman.

"_so you are Nox."

"_Makarov." She acknowledged with a nod.

"_Mavis told me about you."

"_despite me threatening her? This girl doesn't know what is good for her. I'll have to tell Odin."

"_she said Fairy Tail had killed your family."

Mira dropped her glass.

"_what?"

Laxus' gaze was locked on Nox, wondering what she was going to say, how she was going to react.

"_not Fairy Tail alone. But yes. I still want revenge."

"_though I did not quite catch who your family was."

She laughed, cynically. Laxus tensed.

"_what? You allied to kill so many people you cannot even remember six of them?"

"_pardon me?"

Oh, Laxus had a very good idea of who she was talking about, and he did not like it one bit.

"_the Light Team killed my family. It's simple, neh?"

His world came crashing down.

* * *

"_are you meaning to say..." started Makarov, disbelieving.

"_it's all black and white, isn't it?" her voice was harsh and cynical, hurt. "The Oracion Seis were the bad guys, the ones who did evil. You were the nice guys. You were fighting for the light. Does that make you any less of murderers? Does that make my loss any weaker?"

The three people present were stunned.

"_it doesn't. And I want revenge. Maybe not death, but revenge. It is so easy to believe you did right. They had killed before, right? No. They had never laid their hand on a human being. They were the one to attack you guys first, right? No. Light Team went rushing in the war. They were working of their own free will, yeah? You wish."

"_who are you?" demanded Mira, her hands shaking.

"_the King's personal assassin. Part of the elite group of trained killers. Part of the Oracion Seis."

* * *

Laxus was confused. All he could do was hold onto the only thing he was sure of; he loved her. But... all his world, all his belief had come down. He had thought she had been misguided. He had thought her family was slaughtered by someone else who had made her believe it was Fairy Tail. He had thought... He had been wrong. No, Nox was right. It wasn't all black and white. But... He had to believe in something. He had to believe in someone.

"_so, what are you going to do?"

The question, asked by Makarov to the hooded woman startled them.

"_what do you think? If someone killed your nakama, what would you do?"

As much as he hated to admit it, he would get revenge. Makarov's silence answered her question.

"_I don't want blood." All three were startled. She carried on, slightly laughing. "I don't want blood. Nor do I want money. What do I want then?" she let the silence hang a little, wondering herself what she wanted. "I think..." for the first time, her voice had wavered. "I think I want them to know. I think, I want them to suffer like my family did. I want them to remember them. I want the world to understand."

There was a pause. A very long pause during which all they did was stare. Makarov and Laxus at her, and her at the door. Mira had gone back to rubbing her pints, trying to take her mind off the problem.

"_you know..." her voice was soft, breaking the silence. "Angel and Erik were about to get married." They looked stunned, before a small smirk graced Laxus' lips. He was not so surprised.

"_we had stolen a priest attire the night before, Midnight and I. It was for Brain. Hot eye was going to arrange the dancing area, whilst Racer would do the fireworks. Midnight was meant to do some acts with his illusions and I..."

She had gotten a small box out of her cloak's pocket, and opened it to reveal a cushion where two rings had once lain.

"_I would have carried the rings."


	16. Chapter 16 Present or Curse?

Only four of them now knew of her existence, and to a certain extent of their relationship. Makarov, Cana, Mira and Mavis. Makarov had been the only one to deduce why Nox could see the First Master, after he had perceived the aura of the Chains of the Palantiri and of the Earrings of Thorongor. All had been surprised when the young girl had appeared on the bar, and Nox had tipped her off. Mavis had grinned, before turning to Laxus and saying

"_so it's your fault, eh?"

The poor boy had not understood, and both woman had laughed a little. Mavis turned out to be, to Nox's amusement, not that bad. She quite enjoyed the company of the woman, though she would rather die than admit it.

In fact, the four members she had met had grown on her. And, eventually, came the fateful day when she met the Raijinshu.

* * *

Nox and Laxus had been kicked out of the guildhall by Mira, who had to go back home to Lisanna because the girl was sick. Cana who had been in with them had waved them goodbye, going off somewhere, most likely another pub, to get drunk. Nox and Laxus both knew they wouldn't go down this road, being conscious of the fact no one in the guild, well almost, knew about her. Therefore, he had brought her back to his place for them to carry on drinking and 'chillaxing' as she put it.

They were finishing their sixth or seventh can of beer, when a knock was heard upon Laxus' door. Both were a little too intoxicated to notice, and whilst Nox was dead and therefore unaffected by alcohol, she had really needed it that night. Hence their state on inebriety, they did not hear the three mage enter Laxus' apartment. Neither did they sense them before Freed's voice rung through the room, effectively silencing both of them.

"_I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Laxus."

It had the effect of a cold shower. Both immediately stopped giggling like idiots and sobered up, their unwaveringly cold gazes turning to the three intruders. Evergreen was glaring at Nox, who looked thoroughly unimpressed by the woman.

"_Nox, this is my team; the Raijinshu."

The glare he sent her advised her not to laugh at the name, before he carried on. "the woman is called Evergreen, the green haired man Freed and the masked one Bisclow. Guys, this is Nox. We travelled and did a few missions together when I was in exile."

"_how comes we never knew about her?" asked Ever, still suspicious.

"_because I knew you would react like this." He replied, and she sent him an apologetic glance. Freed seemed to judge the woman before him, sizing her up, before he spoke.

"_I have never heard of you."

"_I do not go public." Was the easy answer. Laxus winced. Dangerous ground.

"_such a powerful mage would be well known." Replied the green haired mage, prying further. Laxus was about to tell him to back off, when Nox replied for herself.

"_I do not exist, Free Justine. My job requires me to be inexistent."

His brow furrowed.

"_Nox is an assassin for the King." Finally provided Laxus, his patience wearing thin. "however, she has been laying low for the past seven or eight years. You have nothing to fear."

Freed was still suspicious, whilst Bisclow smirked.

"_an assassin! Sometimes I wonder where you pick them up, Laxus."

"_in our case, I fear I was the one to pick Laxus up."

He smacked her upside the head.

"_technically, it was Alma."

She pouted sceptically, before making a non committal noise.

"_anyway, I gotta go." She replied rising up. "thanks for the beers, and tell me about next time, yeah?"

"_where are you gonna go?" he asked, a bit chuffed. Normally, she would stay the night.

"_where ever the wind carries me." she stuck her tongue out, and falling out of the window was gone in less than a second.

"_where is she?!" asked a bewildered Evergreen, leaning on the window seal.

"_somewhere in the shadows. She can move in them."

Freed furrowed his brow.

"_I have never heard of mages, apart from dragon slayers, who could use the shadows as transportation means. Sure, some can become shadows, but they cannot transport!"

Laxus shrugged.

He didn't care.

* * *

No, that was a lie. He cared. He was just unwilling to ask, because she might cut all ties with him.

He was... Scared.

* * *

Nox and him hadn't met up at the guild in a month now. Here and then, she could call him when she was into a town somewhere and both of them would meet up, but she hadn't set a foot at the guild since his team had met her. He wondered why, sometimes. Nox had not been in contact with him for the past couple of days, but he was not worried. She could hold her own and she often called him every four or five days. They were in constant contact anyway due to the chains. Therefore, he was a tiny bit surprised when he heard Cana come over to him, grinning.

"_my cards tell me a surprise for you is coming today."

A surprise? At that moment, the doors went flying open as Gildarts was thrown in. Soon, a hooded figure followed through, cracking her knuckles. Laxus shook his head.

Couldn't she chose a more obvious way to announce her existence to the guild?

* * *

"_why did you push me?" whined the crush mage. "I only said you smelt like Laxus."

Both mages froze, as Cana and Mirajane hid their chuckled behind their hands. Laxus shot them deadly looks.

"_why would I want to smell like that idiot anyway?" asked the hooded woman, seething.

"_I wouldn't know" replied the mage. "maybe you guys are together or something."

Both froze again, and Laxus chocked on his ale. Damn that ginger! They had been able to keep it relatively a secret before that...

"_shut up!" shouted the woman, clearly embarrassed, before hitting Gildarts with each syllabi, sending the man flying again.

"_ouch... hey Nox, don't you want to stop hitting me?"

"_not unless you stop saying stupid stuff."

"_what?! But I am not stupid!"

"_shall I remind you of the fact you still have an arm and a leg?"

The man smiled uneasily, before taking a step back.

"_no, I think I am okay thank you very much."

"_good."

"_oh, so Gildarts knows as well then?" asked Laxus. She nodded.

"_in all honesty, it was self defence. I was asleep when he attacked me."

"_and you blasted his entrails and his leg off because of it."

"_hey! I healed him after that!"

His eyebrow shot up.

"_right."

That one was dripping with sarcasm. Nox smirked.

"_more or less..."

"_hang on a second," picked Makarov up. "I thought Gildarts had lost his limbs to Acnologia."

"_I did" confirmed the man. "Acnologia just happens to be standing right in front of you." Gazes turned to Nox, who was engaged in a staring contest with Laxus. She was about to stare him down, when they heard the conversation and Mira said;

"_hang on, WHAT?"

"_oh yeah. Did I forget to tell you?" asked Nox.

"_you obviously did if they are reacting like that" replied Laxus, seeing their open mouths and shocked faces.

"_you knew?!" shouted Cana, equally as shocked.

"_of course he did. He... erm..."

"_talked you out of the idea?" supplied the lighting mage

"_distracted me." she corrected, glaring.

Makarov laughed, to the guild's greatest concern.

"_why am I not surprised?"

* * *

"_you never told me how exactly Laxus 'distracted' you." Chimed Gildarts in.

"_You too?" sweat dropped everyone in the back ground.

Both of them blushed, before turning away.

Mira squealed, and Cana spurted out her drink.

"_did he say something dirty?" asked the card mage, exited.

"_not exactly." Muttered Laxus.

"_did he tell you he loved you?" asked the barmaid.

"_not quite." Supplied Nox, equally embarrassed. "you know what?" she said, turning to Laxus. "I think I have to buy... erm... Food! Yes, food! I need to buy food."

She grabbed Laxus' arm, before reading herself to leave.

"_Nox..." she heard Mirajane say. "you don't eat food."

She froze, before smiling stiffly and grabbing Laxus' hand tighter.

"_RUN!"

They had reached Laxus' flat out of breath, barging through the door laughing like lunatics. Both of them had fallen on the floor, one next to the other and were trying to catch their breath. After a few minutes of calm silence, where the last rays of sun warmed the room and the winter outside silenced a bit, Rezef turned her head to Laxus. Very carefully, she poked his cheek, stifling a giggle. Her cloak laid discarded on the floor, and she was not half laying over the man, poking his cheek until she got a response out of him.

"_Laxus" she whined.

"_what?" asked the man, half asleep.

"_I am hungry..."

He facepalmed.

"_you don't even eat food." She closed her eyes, letting her head fall onto his chest.

"_I am bored." She whispered into his neck, his hands coming to rest on her hips.

"_if you say another word, or even move, I am not going to be responsible of my action." His voice was strangely deep, his tone thick with lust. She closed her eyes, with a smirk, and a small violet tongue darted out.

When Laxus felt the cold feeling of her tongue on his neck, leaving a trail of frozen saliva behind, he lost it. Grabbing the woman, he rolled them over and hovered over her. She had a smirk on her features, looking smug.

His lips found hers.

* * *

She woke up the following morning to Laxus' warmth under the covers. Her back was pressed against his warm chest, and as she made an attempt to move to get out of bed, she felt his arms latch onto her waist.

"_stay..." he mumbled into his pillow.

"_I am not going anywhere else than to make breakfast, thunder." The pet name usually was enough to soothe Laxus into releasing her, but this time he held her closer.

"_stay with me, Rezef." His tone was serious, and she felt as if there was something she was not catching yet. She laid back down next to him, her eyes searching his.

"_what do you mean?" she whispered.

"_stay here. Stay with me, with the guild."

His eyes locked onto hers, her breath hitched in her throat. His steely gaze did not allow her room to think, and when she opened her mouth to reply, she did not know what to say. She did not know what she was going to say.

"_are you crazy?" she whispered soflty, and immediately she wished she had not. He had just told her he loved her, and she asked him if he was crazy! Luckily, Laxus was not one to linger in the mushy and replied with cockiness.

"_I must be to be in love with you."

"_you are craycray" she laughed. "so am I." She carried on with seriousness. Her heart clenched at what she was going to say next, and he could hear her voice thicken with sadness. "And maybe, being crazy is the only answer to life."

His eyes locked onto hers, blue grey orbs latching onto black and silver. She offered him a poor smile, and his features softened at her underlying agreement. Before he kissed her again, she shot out of bed and, taking the covers with her, made her way to the kitchen.

"_so erm... What is for breakfast?"


	17. Chapter 17 The Mage called Nox

Despite Nox agreeing with Laxus to stay with him, and by consequence moving into his flat, there had been no significant changes to their life. She still went away for long periods of time, and often they were found by some random guild member very late at night drinking in a strange companionship by the bar. Of course, said member was duly threatened to keep his mouth quiet, but soon the rumours were spreading and Laxus felt as if it was only a matter of days until they reached those Nox despised the most; the Light Team.

And he was right.

Well, not quite.

* * *

The first member of the Light Team Nox met was Wendy. He supposed it was a good thing she had met Wendy aside, since Nox was less likely to kill her, considering both her age and the fact she had not directly killed any member of her family. Therefore, when Nox saw Wendy one evening, after the little girl came back from a mission, he was glad to see Nox act civil with her, albeit a bit cold. When the girl however staggered and fell, he was pleasantly surprised to see his partner catch her.

"_tell me, Laxus. Why can't I find in myself to hate her?" had come the question, after Nox had carefully tended to her wounds and laid Laxus' fur coat over the sleeping girl on a table, not without protest from said man.

"_because you are a softy!" he laughed, mockingly. When he saw her raised eyebrow and smirk, he sobered a little. "because you aren't a heartless killer, Nox. Because you aren't quite dead yet."

"_I'll make sure to eradicate all trace of humanity when I will be fighting the others." She made a move to leave.

"_Nox..." he had grabbed her cloak, holding her back. "you don't have to..."

She turned around, seemingly angered for a moment. He held her burning gaze, and to his surprise she was the first to look away.

"_how will I be able to look at myself every morning after knowing I could have avenged them but chose not to? How will I find the will to carry on, when all that has been fuelling me so far is my hate?"

"_you are not all hate, Nox! Look at you! Did the hate fuel you to love me? Or was it your own emotions? You are not dead, Nox. Not yet." His hands had gripped her arms, and he was shaking her. "you are not dead..."

The whispered words had the effect of an electric shock.

A bit like her lips on his the following second.

"_a dead person wouldn't scream my name" he smirked against her lips.

"_just you wait to see who screams next time..."

* * *

Nox did not take part in the Fantasia. She did not even understand why Laxus had bothered asking in the first place, seeing she was not a member of Fairy Tail.

The harvest festival had been going on for a day now, and would carry on like that for two or three more when Nox made her decision. Revenge had to be taken on every mage that had killed her family. Including those outside of Fairy Tail.

Luckily for her, only two people outside of Fairy Tail had directly taken her family away, and those were Leon Bastya and the Ten Wizard Saint Jura. Both Lamia Scales.

* * *

Hel set to war.

The goddess had decided to cast her cloak away for her revenge, to fight as she had once done with Midnight by her side. She was their family; she would fight once more like before, take revenge.

Her left side was clouded in shadows, inexistent death having token over her immortal body. Before her stay as a human, she had had a limp due to the inconsistence of the darkness. It was gone, and she felt her whole body in such a fashion she had not before.

The sheer amount of magic in her veins amazed her.

Her right side carried the beauty of life, a living triumph. She would have been as beautiful as Freya had not death token over, and yet when she looked in the mirror she did not feel ashamed. To her, the darkness of death was more beautiful than the ephemeral lure of smooth skin and cream tones. Her hair was naturally black, shining against her pale skin. The left side of it was white, a snow white like the colour the hair of people take when they are nearing death. Her left eye was crimson red, a drop of blood that will never again fall. Her lips were violet, frozen in time and sometimes stained with his plum lipstick. Other times, they were black as night. Erasing the only drop of colour from her dead face.

Hel was not humanly beautiful. She was beautiful like the first frost of winter, like the peace that death provides. She was ethereal, inconsistently beautiful.

She was Death.

And no Wizard Saint would ever hold her back from doing what she had to do.

* * *

When she had entered the town of the Lamias, coming out of a shadow like a dream, people had parted ways before her. As she went past, hounds howled in agony, scared. Flowers withered, dead. An eternal darkness seemed to follow her every steps, and even children turned their faces away from her. She was their most concealed fear, their deepest nightmare.

The wood of the Lamias' door decomposed under her hand, as she pushed it open. Her bare left foot turned the planks she stepped upon rotten, whilst her right made them vigorous. She was death. Yes, but she was also life.

People in the guild froze at her appearance. Her aura was not the one of a human, and when their Master came to investigate the noise, or lack of, she herself was stunned by the presence of the Goddess.

"_can I help you?" she called ceremoniously. God or no God, this was her guild and she would defend it.

"_I am here to fight Leon Bastya and Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints. For them to expire their crimes against my family."

Gazes turned to the two mages, who looked confused.

"_I don't understand what she is saying," replied the white haired man, "but I think she is defying us, Jura."

"_what do you accuse us of?"

"_the murder of Racer and the imprisonment of Hot Eye."

Silence met her declaration.

"_I do not understand how us neutralizing the Oracion Seis would cause damage to your family." Replied the white haired boy, his stance defensive.

"_I do. And that is enough for me to seek revenge."

The cold voice had rung across the guild, her tone unforgiving.

"_listen, brat." Called the Master to Lyon, "you are going to get that done out of here, because you are not destroying my guild hall."

"_I ll pay for the repairs" replied the ice mage off handily.

"_that is... If you are still able to work after I am done with you..."

Chills ran up his spine, as he did his best to hide his fear.

"_no girl can beat me." he threw at her, before launching himself

"_Ice make! Eagles!"

A myriad of colours took over the space outside the guild, reflection of the light on the ice. The rattling of frozen wings was heard on the wind, and suddenly the ice turned black.

"_shatter."

It broke in thousands of pieces.

"_Ice make! Tiger!"

The beast growled as it sprouted from the hands of the young man, making Hel laugh.

"_Garmr."

The Helhound appeared.

The loyal dog was in his battle form, his size easily thrice the one of the tiger, which was already as high as Lyon. Blood was dripping from his missing jaw, tainting the shards of ice on the floor, remain of the eagles. She petted his head he had bowed to her shoulder, as the tiger whined and took a step back.

"_attack!" shouted Lyon, shaking.

Garmr growled, the deep sound reverberating in the ice and opening a crack. The tiger fell to pieces, as Hel smirked to the man.

"_got anything else?"

He growled, before shouting his last attack;

"_Ice Make! Dragon!"

Hel could not have been happier. The dragon was not real, solely made of ice and was a pathetic excuse for the ones she had befriended as she lingered in Muspell. And fought. Her hand rose, as the magic in the air suddenly seemed to boil and twist itself. They saw the life of the surrounding plants come out of their habitat and slowly undulate towards the woman's outstretched hand. They shards of life twisted and turned, before she sent them hurling towards the dragon and its creator.

"_check." She calmly said, as Lyon's dragon shattered to ice and the white haired man slumped to the ground; unconscious and on the verge of life. She turned to Jura, and smiled croakily.

"_do you admit defeat?"

He readied himself.

* * *

Jura's fight against Hel was, ironically, much less balanced. His true force laid in the life the earth contained, and Hel was death. Life had not stood a chance. Therefore, when she saw Jura start converging the life held in the earth towards him, all she had to do was spread her aura. Plants withered, even the dead wood of the guild splintered before they started rotting. Decaying. Dying. When the shadows of death reached Jura, a flash of light appeared. A small circle was held around him, all the life essence he could muster from the earth. Hel grinned, before increasing the push on his vital energy. He faltered, before screamingly sending an avalanche of rocks her way. She just had to hold her hand up and they turned to dust as soon as they came in contact with her body. The Wizard Saint fell to his knees, before losing his consciousness.

"_Mate."

She turned around, about to leave when a voice rung behind her.

"_wait! What did you do to him?!"

A girl with pink hair was sat next to the ice mage, her face etched with worry.

"_he will come to his senses again. It is not his time yet." Hel replied, off handily. "Not that I would want someone like him in my realm anyway." She said, bitterly. The Master's eyes widened.

"_what do you mean, in your realm?" her voice was shaking. It was not possible. The Gods had died long ago.

"_did I not introduce myself?" she asked, mockingly. "Hel, Queen of the Seventh Realm and Collector of the Souls. Goddess of Death."

* * *

No one laughed. They all believed her, it did not even course through their head she might be lying. She was Hel. She was Death. Jura and Lyon had never stood a chance. She was Death. They shivered, as the pink haired girl gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

"_oh Lyon..." her sobs cut the silence, and the Goddess boringly stared at her. She turned around, and in the shadow of a moment, she was gone.


	18. Chapter 18 The Goddess called Hel

Words of Hel's appearance had quickly reached Magnolia, and Laxus suspected his friend had something to do with it. He knew he didn't know her, he knew he never asked how she had known those people back before the seven year gap. He knew... and yet he could not bring himself to admit it. Hel and Rezef could not be one... yet... it seemed so plausible. So likely. How many people would almost kill the members of the Light Team for revenge? How many people would be able to beat Jura after fighting Lyon?

Hel could, Rez could, Nox could.

No one else in his opinion.

So, when she came back that night, a grin splitting her face and her eyes alight with a small spark, he was reminded of Garmr, the Helhound and he decided to face the truth. It was time to face the music.

"_Rezef." He called, as she entered the bar. No one was there but him and her. She pushed her hood back, before taking a seat beside him.

She saw the paper in his hand, the news coming as no surprise to her. She turned her head away.

"_so you heard of it too."

He nodded.

"_and I assume you made the right conclusion."

He also nodded. She failed to meet his gaze.

"_are you scared?" she whispered after a moment of silence.

"_nothing scares me." he replied with his smirk. Maybe not the best answer out there, but it did its job. She smiled back.

"_I think someone is getting too cocky..."

There was a little silence, before Laxus chuckled.

"_I can't believe you are a Goddess..."

"_what do you mean?" she said, half laughing, half haughtily. "Am I not good enough?" she stuck her tongue out.

"_ I just thought Goddesses were meant to be full of themselves, cute and superficial." It was her turn to laugh.

"_Not all of us are. Sigyn is the perfect counter example, though she IS cute..."

He smirked, before his smile faded and he looked back at her again.

"_why did you not tell me?"

She shrugged.

"_I guessed it wouldn't be the best of first impressions. 'Hi, my name is Hel and I am the Goddess of Death'. You wouldn't have believed me, or worse, you would have been scared of me."

"_dammit woman! I am Laxus Dreyar! I do not know fear!"

"_riiiiight" came the sarcastic reply.

"_and after there wasn't any time, really." He supplied as a mean to finish her explanation. "There was the Tenrou thing, and then I had already figured out you could somehow turn in a dragon..."

"_I didn't really see the need to tell you further."

He just shrugged.

"_would have been nice knowing what I was getting myself into."

She shot him a withering look, to which he chuckled and patted her head. She swatted his hand away, and turned back to her drink.

"_so, have you seen Natsu and co around?"

Laxus had known from the instant she had asked him that question that it was going to be hard. Both for him and for them. Would they exile him, because of his ties with her? Or would they try to kill her? Even though he refused to admit it, Laxus was worried. Not scared, because Laxus Dreyar did not know fear, but worried. This girl was so silly she would take on all four of them –Happy was neglectable in his opinion, at once. He shook his head.

She was going to be the death of him.

* * *

He barely had any prior warning to the fight. All he knew, was that one day, as he was coming to the bar, Nox was sitting in his seat. He didn't even had to act surprised, he had guessed it was more or less coming, but he did not expect it to be both so brutal and over so quickly.

In fact, it was over so soon it felt like a dream.

* * *

As soon as Team Natsu came back from a mission, Master approached them. He handed them a letter, which challenged them to a duel. Right here, right now. All five agreed, their honour put on the line were they to retract.

"_I am all fired up!" had shouted Natsu.

And Nox came out of the shadows.

She was wearing her cloak, yet Laxus could see she had changed form under it. There was a small limp in her steps, one where once only inconsistent shadows made up her body. She was also taller, her height now equal to his. But what struck everyone the most, was when her barefoot made contact with the wooden floor.

Slowly, the prints she had left in the wood turned black. And, spreading like a disease, they extended their tendrils of darkness throughout the room. Swirls of white puffy smoke rose from the planks, twisting and curling until they surrounded her fully. Her hood still securely in place, she came to stand before Team Natsu.

"_I'll make sure to quench that fire."

* * *

The cold. That is all they could feel. Standing outside, watching Nox stare down Team Natsu from under her hood, all they could feel was cold. Then, a trembling Makarov listed the rules.

"_One; this fight will end by either K.O. or surrender. This is not a fight to death, and not a Royal Battle. This is a one on one."

Some tension left the place, though the smirk Nox sported did nothing to ease their fears.

"_Two; when one of the fighters is on the ground, you are not allowed to hit them. That would just be sadistic. And Three;" he gulped, before looking more shaken than before; "every move is allowed."

Natsu went first, as Nox dispersed the tendrils. She would keep her Ragnarök form for someone very special. Much more special.

Natsu's first attack was a fist of the Fire Dragon. Nox disappeared in the torrent of flames, and he quickly followed it up with the wings and the claws. The flames' heat had turned everyone in the area red in the face, their breathing heavy as they knew just how destructive Natsu could be.

"_you idiot!" shouted Lucy. "It was not a fight to death!"

"_oops, I might have gotten a little carried away..."

The golden flames were still surrounding her frame, hues of yellows and red flashing by in a dangerous dance. Then, as suddenly as the raven cried, they turned black.

* * *

Midnight black, deadly black. Nox emerged from them, unscathed as the flames licked her skin and swirled around her in a wild dance.

"_come one, little boy. Do something better."

* * *

Natsu had been shocked at see her transform his flames. No one have ever touched his flames like that before. He felt as if he was hurt inside, where his fire came from. His eyes darkened.

"_by the Secret Technique of the Dragon Slayer: Fist of the Crimson Lotus!"

But instead of the red, burning flames, black ones enveloped his fist. He cried in agony, as the flames took over his body, slowly consuming his being. He fell to the floor, panting, and Nox retracted her attack.

"_admit defeat or get up, Dragon Slayer. I don't have the time for your antics."

He pushed his frame up from the ground, his body charred and covered in dying flames.

"_if you lift you head any higher, 'I will make you face the dust'."

Natsu's heart faltered for a second, before he pushed himself off further and shakily stood on his two feet.

"_I am a member of Fairy Tail. I fight for my friends, I cannot lose."

"_funny," she replied, her left hand making a series of moves to fast for him to see. "I fight for my friends as well. Although, you killed mine."

A black orb rushed towards Natsu, enveloping his being. The sphere was opaque, none able to see through it. Grey immediately rushed to her, pointing Excalibur under her neck.

"_what did you do to flame brain?!" he shouted, anger sweeping through his system.

"_tsk. I thought Ul would have taught you better manners."

"_how do you know her?!" his fury increased only further when she pushed away his blade with the flat side of her palm.

"_you wish to know, don't you? There is no heaven for those who died at the hands of a demon. Only Hel."

She had lied. Of course, she did. All she wanted was to get a reaction out of Grey, preferably one she would be able to control. Like his anger. So, when the man shouted and brought his ice sword down, she repeated her little trick.

"_shatter."

The ice shards on the floor took a black colour, glistening dangerously under the sun. She picked one up, with a deadly edge she tested against her own skin and, smiling at the bloodying cut, she strode towards Grey. He summoned his ice Bazooka, trying to hurt her but all the missiles shattered on the ground, making it deadly to walk upon. Soon, all he had left was his bow and a single arrow. Nox smirked under her hood.

"_I believe this is not the first time, eh?" her voice chilled him, the ice mage, to the bone.

"_how do you...?" his voice trailed, uncertain, before the situation became clear when she launched herself at him, her ice shard placed on his throat like Racer's dagger had once been on Lyon's.

* * *

"_all I need is a small shard, allied to speed, to slice your throat before you can cast any spell."

* * *

His heart faltered, and his head bobbed back, waiting for the ice to embed in his throat. He would not beg for his life.

Nox lifted herself off him.

"_my plans are not to kill you. Only to remind you that if you are ready to take life, you should also be ready for yours to be taken."

And like that, she turned away from him and to the two remaining girls.

"_who is next?"

There was a moment of silence, before Nox spoke again.

"_I want to keep Titania for the end, I have a special business with her..." she smiled, showing her canines. Lucy came forward, her hands trembling as she sent a look to the sphere of darkness in the air and to Grey whose eyes were glassed over on the floor.

"_Gate of the Leo: Loke!"

The playboy appeared, bowing to Lucy and offering her flowers. His antics stopped short, however, when he noticed her fearful gaze. He turned around to the hooded woman, and his blood froze.

"_Hel-sama!" he whispered, kneeling on the earth.

"_Loke?!" questioned Lucy, shaken by his behaviour.

"_I am sorry, princess, but I cannot fight her. She is above me in the hierarchy... I cannot Hime. Sorry..." his form vanished, leaving Lucy distraught and alone.

Nox's voice next to her ear had the effect of an electric shock on her.

"_how does it feel?" she whispered, her breath cold on her neck. "to be betrayed by those who promised to serve you? How does it feel?"

Lucy's hand began shaking, as slowly the tears poured down her face at Loke's betrayal.

"_how does it feel" carried on the cloaked woman "to be alone in a world where everyone is against you? How does it feel to have your friends turned away from your by another?" Lucy was sobbing on the floor, her heart aching in pain. Nox lifted her eyes when the tip of a blade met her chin. Yet another. Her gaze crossed Titania's angry one and she felt sick in the pit of her stomach when Erza said;

"_she does not stand alone."

She smirked.

"_oh, I think she would rather stand alone than stand by you, murderer."

* * *

"_I never killed a living being!" thundered Titania, her voice full of indignation and hurt at the accusation.

"_I wish you were right." Nox's voice was cold, broken. She drew back the hood of her cloak, her halved face coming to the light. "I wish you had never killed them. I wish they were still alive and well. I wish my hands did no longer carry their blood." The tone of her voice, gentle in the beginning had started to grow colder and colder, harsher and harsher, until she was stood before Titania in all her godly splendour, her body surrounded by the life of things she had subconsciously absorbed.

The knight equipped into the armour of Purgatory, willing herself to be stronger for her family.

"_I will win, so that Natsu, Grey and Lucy may never need to see you again."

Hel smirked.

"_if a Fairy like you could not kill a Dragon, what chance do you think you have against a Goddess?"

"_I have my family."

"_pretty lies."

"_they are not lies!" roared Erza, launching herself at Hel. The Goddess raised a hand, rusting metal to a point where the edge of the sword was no longer sharp and the armour of Purgatory nothing more than a pile of rusted iron.

"_no one can vanquish Death. Not even Death itself." Calmly said Hel, her voice edgier than before. "No one can control Death either. It comes and goes, taking the souls of those who have died." Tendrils of life wrapped around her, a ballet of smoky white and charcoal black. "It does not chose who it takes. It merely collects the souls of those not valiant enough for Valhalla." The smoke undulated towards Erza, who nimbly dodged it. "How long do you think you can escape Death?" The scarlet haired woman had started sweating, her body no longer as agile as it was ten minutes ago when the fight had begun. A tendril of Death touched her arm, and she felt as if all energy had left her. The scarlet Fairy slumped to the floor, chocking on her own blood. Hel bent over her.

"_sometimes," said the Goddess "I hate being the Queen of the Seventh Realm. Forever surrounded by tortured souls, I walk the Third Realm, this Realm, alone. No one ever looked at Death in the eye and left unscathed, yet here I am, bound to let you live by the Norns who do not believe your time is up yet."

White tendrils surrounded the knight, as her vision began to fade.

"_here I am, saving you from the Valkyries about to grab you, to make you one of them."

The redhead caught sight of a fully garbed shield maiden in the corner of her vision. The messenger of Odin nodded towards her, before taking flight. The last thing she heard before the darkness overtook her was the whispers of the Goddess of Hel.

* * *

"_Midnight would have not liked you to be defeated so easily, Erza Scarlett. If you have to lose, do it knowing he would have never killed you. You fought on the same side."

* * *

Laxus could not see a thing in the smoke of white, only make out shapes and movements. A shadow he assumed to be Hel bent over what he thought as Titania's lifeless form on the ground. He saw the knight choke, before a flash a darkness blinded all of them and, when their visions returned, the smoke was gone. Alongside Hel.

All that was left were the four bodies of Team Natsu, with no trace of the Goddess. Not even a spell. Not even an aura.


	19. Chapter 19 The Girl called Rezef

Her mission on earth was done. She had avenged her family and had brought peace to their minds. Yet, she could not find in herself to leave the Third Realm. She blamed it on the sun, which never shone in her own home. She blamed it on the life, which never was in her palace. She blamed it on the breeze, on everything but on the blond man she could not get out of her thoughts.

_That is called running away._ Came his first contact after a moment of stunned silence she perceived through the Chains.

_Is not. _

_Is. _

_Not. _

_You are so childish._

_You are the one who started. _

_It is still called running away. _

_Nope. My business was done. _

_Gramps still wants you to join. _There was a stunned silence on her side, and then a half hearted chuckle.

_I am not sure he still has his whole head._

_I am pretty sure he does. He said he wouldn't be a proper guild master of Fairy Tail if he did not try to right the wrongs._

_This is such a Fairy thing to say._

_Come back already. We all know you can see Mavis, so you HAVE to be somewhat of a Fairy yourself._

_I will kill that little sneaky bastard of a Master you have._

_Hahahaha. So? When are you coming back?_

There was no use arguing now, he knew he had won. As always.

_Gimme the time to travel back, I guess. _

_How long?_

_Five days?_

_Nah, you are coming back now._

And she vanished again, swearing to herself she would take the Earrings off next time Laxus was being annoying.

She knew she wouldn't, but it did not stop her from wishing she could.

* * *

Mirajane had explained to the guild the grand lines of Rezef's actions. And even though not everyone liked it, and even though not everyone understood why a woman had come back instead of the cloaked figure of a goddess, she didn't care. Laxus and the Master knew, which was the most important for her.

Sure, being part of Fairy Tail's family had blown a huge dent in her ego. The hardest part was to get that goddamned tattoo. Laxus almost had to force it on her, orders of the Master. Finally, after a great deal of bribing through chocolate –which Rez seemed to love despite not actually needed food, she let them apply the guild stamp on her skin. Rezef had thought very long and very hard about where the place would be adequate for a stamp like this one. She would after all be wearing it for a long time. She expected the thing to disappear with her Godly form, but as she still had the one of the Oracion Seis on the left side of her stomach...

That's it! She wanted it on the left side of her stomach! On top of the Oracion Seis' mark. Because now, she belonged to both.

However, her stomach had been where Rezef had taken the habit to deal with her own pain. After their death, she had returned some of the hate she bore Fairy Tail against herself. She was as guilty as them. But slowly, as the hate faded, she had felt the raw empty pain and she had to let it all out.

Mirajane didn't say a word when Rezef lifted the hem of her black tank top, revealing both the mark of their once-enemies and the scars. She merely applied the stamp on top of the previous one and waited.

Her Oracion Seis mark had been white, a colour chosen by the magic due to her ability to bring life to things. Yet, the Fairy Tail mark did not seem to be able to pick a colour. It kept oscillating between hues of plum, blue and greys. Rezef was getting impatient and, when after three minutes of deciding the magic had still not made its choice, she dropped the tank top back down. There was no use, she would look again tonight.

It turned out to be black, as black as her ability to kill and bring death. Rezef didn't mind. She was Death.

Yet, she was happy. She had something resembling a family, and someone she had learned to love. She was no longer alone, and no longer torn between three personas. She was the Goddess called Hel, the Mage called Nox and the Girl called Rezef.

* * *

**Hey people:** I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read me, and favoriting/following the story. Feedback is, as previously stated, always welcome.

So, erm... Well, this is the last chapter really, the following one being just an epilogue. I hope you enjoyed reading me, and I hope to hear from you on your thoughts. Until next time,

Hellsig


	20. Chapter 20 At the End of All Things

Rezef watched as Laxus' soul was taken away from her by a Valkyrie. The woman she recognized as Erza sent her a pained look, as Rezef turned her gaze away from her husband. He was gone. They were all gone. Age had token them all, age or war.

Her gaze settled on the guild she had destroyed upon hearing of her husband's death. Raven Tail. Laxus had gone on a mission alone, infiltrating the guild of his father and his cover had been blown up. He had died there, just seconds before she had reached him. She had killed them all. The souls of those she had murdered slowly escaped their body, as a twinge of hate tugged at her mind. She wanted to let them haunt the earth forever. She wanted Laxus to join her in Hel. But neither would do, and she slowly collected the souls of those she had so brutally murdered. When no one was left, she turned back to her previous task, a new found tenderness in her eyes.

* * *

Carefully, as if her husband was still alive to feel pain, she laid him on the cold floor. His blue grey eyes were still partially open, his chest unmoving. Slowly, with all the love she had left, she closed them and placed a goodbye kiss on his lips. She knew he felt it, she could sense it through the chains.

Black flames engulfed his body when she stood up, his soul sending her a last goodbye.

* * *

They would meet again, at Ragnarök. At the end of all things.

And even though they would be on opposite sides, even though they would both end up dead from the Dusk of Gods, they would be together. And both of them were just fine with it.


End file.
